Dominion
by klandgraf2007
Summary: AU Set in a modern day monarchy where a war is being waged between Krypton and Metropolis. When the Prince of Krypton is sent on a peace mission he finds himself torn between loyalty to his kingdom and the love of the enemy. Which one will he choose?
1. Chapter 1 A Kingdom

**DOMINION**

**Summary: Set in a modern day monarchy where tension has separated the two provinces causing war to break out. But when the King's nephew embarks on a courageous mission to bring peace, he finds himself torn between loyalty to his country and love for the enemy. Which one will he choose?**

**Rating: PG-13 (possibly) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything; the rights belong to those who own them.**

**A/N: I had some technical issues and had to delete the story. I'm sorry for the confusion.**

**Chapter One "A Kingdom"**

Bombs exploded all around the war ravaged battlefield with dirt raining down upon the soldiers in the pits, which echoed with the sound of gunfire in the distance.

The gunners loaded their guns under the watchful eyes of the superior officers who were ensuring that this decade old war would be won by using any means necessary and in their eyes; the Kingdom of Krypton would prevail.

Amongst the chaos, was a young solider by the name of Ryan Kent, a young cadet that had joined the war a year when he became of age.

Never before had his youthful eyes seen a war such as this, but what he lacked in experience was made up for with help of his special talents which had aided Krypton in reclaiming pieces of land from the hands of the enemy.

"Kent!" A superior officer calls out towards the small group of soldiers conversing as the young man rushes to him with a quick salute and stonewall expression, "Direct orders from the captain, he wants you and Eldridge to head towards the northern camps and interrogate a prisoner."

The young solider saluted upon receiving his orders and rushed off towards the barracks, the excitement that flowed through him was fueled with the knowledge that only on brief occasions did a young recruit such as himself ever received orders from the captain himself, they often received the orders from lower officials who never divulged information about the mission but often delivered a red envelop bearing the monarch's crest that detailed information concerning the mission assigned to them.

While Ryan prepared himself for light travel, a slightly taller and older officer entered the barracks with a small smirk on his face as he took off his helmet and placed it on his bunk, "Words spread around the pits that we've got another assignment."

Ryan smirked while zipping up his bag, "Direct orders from the captain…" he turns to face the solider, "looks like your gonna be my back up again, Kal."

The solider known as Caleb Eldridge or Kal just smirked and patted his friend on the back before turning his attention towards his bunk to rid himself of his bulletproof vest and sidearm, "Who else is gonna save your ass." he jokes with his attention now focused on the tattered old black and white photo in his hands, a man bearing an odd resemblance to Kal smiled with his arms wrapped around a young woman looking happy as can be.

"Do you ever wonder why we keep fighting?" Kal asks never wavering from the picture in front of him, "This war has been going on longer then any of us."

Ryan shrugs, "We all fight our wars, this one is just a little longer then most." the young man slings his bag over his shoulder and prepared to leave the barracks before turning back towards his friend, "I'll give you a couple minutes to pack before we head out."

The tents flapped when the young solider left, leaving Kal to finish unloading his gear and packing for light legwork, no one except for Ryan knew who the young couple were in the photograph.

It was young Jerome and Lara Eldridge years before their marriage and the birth of Caleb, but what people didn't know was that Caleb Eldridge had a secret…

…He was the king's nephew.

* * *

A royal messenger raced through the council halls towards the main chamber, which was reserved when the council of Krypton formed to hear the pleas of its people.

The doors swung open causing almost every eye to turn towards the messenger who bowed to his king prior to speaking, "We have a situation on the warfront, your highness." his hands trembled nervously as he handed over the small envelope to the king.

Seconds ticked by until the king finally rose to his feet and addressed the council members, "We'll have to reschedule this meeting until this situation is absolved."

Chatter soon erupted when the chamber doors opened and the king departed, they were oblivious to the anger resonating from their fearless monarch.

"I want a chopper ready for my departure." he hands the envelope to Augo, his assistant. "Luthor's gone to great lengths to get my crown and he's using my nephew to do it." he buttons up his suit jacket before leaving his people at the steps of Kandor's capital oblivious to the concerned looks being thrown his way.

* * *

How they were ambushed by the enemy troops puzzled Kal, who was currently pinned against an old oak tree with gunfire echoing from the northeast.

"Ryan!" he calls out quick to dodge oncoming fire as he rushed to a nearby ditch, his chest heaves in fast paces while his grip on his firearm begins to tighten.

From his point of view from the small mud hole, he could see Ryan emerging from the wooded area with a limp in his step.

Relief washed over Kal as he began signaling the young solider to his position, until a loud pop could be heard and Ryan slumped to the ground.

"Ryan!" Kal cries out and without thinking of the bullets that whizzed while rushing to his friend's side.

The sight of his fallen friend would be forever engraved in his mind, Ryan laid still almost corpse-like in the mud with his finger occasionally twitching on their own accord.

When he turned the boy over on his back, Kal could see that the green of his shirt had now grown darker from the blood that now stained the hands of the prince.

"Ryan?" he says trying to get some sign of consciousness only to receive silence and the echoing warfront in the distance as his answer.

The sudden sound of a twig snapping caused his attention to go from the dying solider to the north side of the forest where a gunshot rang out.

The force of the bullet caused his body to fall and an excruciating pain to rip through his entire body.

All he could do was lay there in the cold mud feeling the life drain from his body and watch the white clouds dance in the bright blue sky.

Hours later help arrived in the form of a helicopter with the medics repelling down from a rope to get to the fallen soldiers, it was clear that the boy hadn't survived but there was still time to save their future king.

_**Three Years Later**_

The war between Eldridge and Luthor grew tiresome and began to takes it toll on the people of Krypton.

They had suffered the loss of fathers/mothers, brothers/sisters, friends, and lovers. But somehow through the suffering, the Kingdom managed to thrive.

The people were pleased to welcome back its favorite son with open arms while the royal family awaited his arrival at the capital steps, which stood for all to see with the red and blue banners that bore their family crest flapping in the wind.

King Zorion and his daughter stood alongside each other awaiting the arrival of the prince, "It'll be good to see your cousin again; he's been gone for a long time."

Kara nodded, "Kal needed time to heal." she pauses to look at her father, "He took what happened pretty hard. Losing your friend right in front of you and nearly dying yourself was a lot to take in."

"That's the price of war, we all risk something to gain everything." a sorrowful look crosses his face at the memories that threatened to plague his mind.

Just as he was about to surrender to the memories that he tried so hard to forget, a black Rolls-Royce pulled to a stop and the prince emerged.

The years had not been kind to the young prince, his hair was longer then it once was along with the growing beard he now sported, his clothes looked wrinkled and worn compared to the pressed and clean attire he was accustomed to wearing.

"Kal!" Kara exclaims happily as she rushes towards her cousin and embraces him in a warm hug, "It's so good to have you back home." she smiles up at him, "I have so much to tell you."

The king decides to cut in, "Lets not overload your cousin on his first day back." he places his hand on Caleb's shoulder, "You'll have plenty of time to catch up on old times after the celebration."

Caleb looks at his uncle surprised, "There is no celebration required, uncle. I only wish to spend time with my family."

The king simply laughs at the idea, "When your father and I returned from the war against Black Zero. Your grandfather threw an extravagant party, the same party where your parents first met."

Before the prince could reply, a soft hand slipped upon the king's shoulder followed by a soft voice, "There's no need to drag up the past, if Caleb wishes to be alone with family then it shall be done accordingly to his wishes."

Kal smiled genuinely for the first time in three years at the sight of his mother standing before him dressed in the noble blue gown of an Eldridge woman, "Mom" he whispers happily before embracing her in a tight but warm hug, "I thought you were staying in the countryside, why the sudden change in plans?"

Lara framed her son's face almost as if he was six years old again, "How could I miss the homecoming of my only child…" her eyes soon turn sad, "Your father would've been so proud of you and I know now that Rao has answered my prayers by bringing you safely home." tears threaten to take over but Kal simply wipes them away with a sad and broken smile.

"No more crying, I'm home and that's all that matters." he kisses his mother on the forehead before turning his attention back towards the car to grab his things.

The king turns towards Lara, "Are you sure that canceling the party would be a good idea?"

She doesn't answer right away but her attention remains focused on her son, "Caleb is not the same man he was when he left and I fear that this change will be for the worst."

**TBC…**

**For those of you wondering who the heck is Augo? Well to answer that you need simply look to your Season 7 DVDs which have the Kara and the Krypton Chronicles, Augo worked with Zor-El prior to Krypton's destruction and was a very loyal assistant towards him.**

**The first chapter sort of deals with Caleb/Kal, the next chapter will deal with Lois's past then jump three years later to the same point as Kal's return home (hope its not too confusing then it sounds lol)**

**REVIEWS/QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/ETC.**


	2. Chapter 2 The Other Kingdom

**Chapter Two- "The Other Kingdom"**

Luthor Tower stood high above the province of Metropolis almost like a beacon, one that gave the people hope towards the future of their growing kingdom.

The giant steel doors leading to the main chambers swung open with the sound of heavy footsteps echoing down the long dark hallway marked with paintings of the Luthor family's rise to power.

A nervous young solider stood at the main chamber's doorway, a taller more intimidating man stands with his back hunched over the table while Lionel stands a little straighter and listens to the words being said to him.

"General Lane?" the solider calls out even more nervous then he was before when the stonewall commander turns towards him with almost a snarl for being interrupted, "Your eldest daughter has evaded our protection…we can't seem to find her anywhere in this entire city."

The general turns towards Lionel who nods his head and proceeds to walk back towards his makeshift throne while the General grabbed the young solider by the collar and dragged him out of the chamber towards the main entrance, "Where the hell is she!" he demands tossing the young solider to his feet, "This city was designed to keep people in and others out."

The solider just shakes his head negatively, "It appears that she got the captain drunk prior to her escape, we have called in our best tracker to locate her and bring her back into custody."

Sam Lane was no fool and all the medals/awards he possessed were proof of that, but if there's one thing that he knew well…it was his daughters, "Call off the trackers and report back to the base." he walks off without so much as a small glance towards the small solider.

* * *

The walls were lightly trimmed and garnished with flowers from every kingdom in the known Dominion, giving other royal gardens a run for their money.

Along these garden walls sat a young girl with long brown hair and sad hazel eyes that stared back at her from the ripples of the pond, her soft voice was a whisper as she hummed an old familiar tune.

Her fingers trailed over the cold water causing several of the small fish to scurry away; there were many moments like this that brought the young woman peace of mind over problems that plagued her.

Lois continued to stare aimlessly at her reflection in the water until that familiar overbearing presence caused her to pause, "I knew it was a matter of time until your goon patrol told you that I was gone…" she turns to see her father standing there in the archway, "How'd you know where to find me?"

"Your mother use to bring you here everyday…" he pauses with a sad look upon his face, "She said that all the war and hatred in the world couldn't damage a place like this."

Lois rises from her seated position by the pond and turns to face her father with a cold emotionless expression, "If you're here to take me back and order a lockdown, then you can just forget it. I'm not going back there and there's nothing you can say or do that would change my mind."

"There's nowhere else you can go, Metropolis has been under tight security since Kryptonian soldiers were spotted out near the northern territory…" he walks towards his eldest child cautiously, "and since you're my daughter that makes you a security risk, a person that could be used against us in the war."

She rolls her eyes, "I doubt that the kingdom's army officials would be interested in anything I have to offer, I'm just supposed to shut up and look pretty for the Luthor's."

The general looks disappointed with his daughter's reply, "If you feel that way then maybe I should've sent you to boarding school like I did with Lucy."

Lois watched her father walk out of the garden's exit, her subconscious was tugging back and forth between what was right and what would've benefited her life. It only took a matter of minutes before she grabbed her leather messenger bag and began to chance after the general calling out, "Dad, wait!"

He paused keeping his back to her, "I'm sorry." Her soft voice says as she steps to his side with a look on her face that reminded him of his dear Ella, "You were just looking out for my safety but I'm an adult now, I want to be able to walk outside everyday knowing that it's my choice and not scheduled for me on a calendar." She places her hand on his arm hoping the connection would make what she had to say a little easier, "I want to do something meaningful with my life."

He placed his hand over her giving it a soft squeeze, "I suppose it was a matter of time until you decided to leave the coop." hints of a smile forming on his face was a rarity neither Lois or her sister had ever seen before, "I cant stop you from doing what you wanna do…but you have to be careful. These are dangerous times we live in and I couldn't stand it if something happened to you."

She smiled and threw her arms around her father allowing another rarity to occur between them one that hadn't happened since her mother was alive.

* * *

'_Later today, an ambush against a small squadron of kryptonian soldiers against our solider took place. Rumors are circling the internet that one of the kryptonian soldiers was Caleb Eldridge, the son of the late prince Jerome, who was killed in action during the Dominion Wars twenty years prior…Lionel Luthor and his military officials had no comment as to whether these rumors were true, but officials did confirm that none of our soldiers were killed and that the threat has been eliminated.'_

Lex Luthor clicked off the screen and turned towards his father, "What are we going to do? King Zorion will surely want blood for this attack on his nephew and he'll send every military force here to tear down our kingdom's walls."

The king rose from behind his desk and strode towards his eldest son with a glint in his eyes, "Zorion wouldn't risk such an invasion, he'd have to go through the council and the last thing they would want is more bloodshed."

Lionel patted his son on the shoulder, "If we ever want to have full control over the Dominion then we have to hide our true colors from our enemy." he moves past Lex towards the bookcase, "Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire and yet he was betrayed not by the enemy but by those closest to him."

"But how do we get the kryptonians to trust us?" Lex inquires curiously.

Lionel couldn't help but smirk when he turned to face his son, "Who said anything about the Kryptonians?"

_**Three Years Later **_(The same time Kal comes home to his family)

An man in his late 50s steps up the small stage dressed in a sharp tuxedo and a friendly smile on his face, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my deepest honor to present our next award to a woman who has never backed down from a challenge and has shown incredible courage in the face of unspeakable danger, she's someone that I've had the privilege of working with several times and I believe that she will change the world…" he extends his hand out towards the crowd with a smile, "Miss Lois Lane."

The crowd roars with applause when the young woman rose from her seat and began walking towards the stage with a large smile on her face.

Lois was quick to give her presenter a hug and a peck on the cheek before stepping up to the podium with a hidden nervousness that was masked by her smile, "Thank you, Mr. White." she looks down at the award with a small sense of admiration, "I don't really know what to say, I never planned to win any awards or to be recognized for what I do." the smile slowly disappears and her eyes reflect a certain sadness that began to glisten in behind her hazel eyes, "I cant tell you how much this award means to me and my family…" she slowly slips back into her defensive shell with a smile, "Thank You."

The crowd applauds again as Lois made her way down the stage back towards her table where she was quickly wrapped in a warm embrace by her cousin, "That was a lovely speech Lo, I'm sure Aunt Ellen would've been proud of you." Chloe says with a happy smile on her face.

"I'm not so sure about that, Chlo. There are people out there that have been doing this type of work most of their lives and they never get recognition for it, the only reason that I got this award was because my father works for the king."

Chloe shakes her head negatively and quickly takes the champagne flute away from her before she could take a sip, "I don't think you need to drown your problems in booze, what you need is to stop working so much and go out into the dating scene."

Lois couldn't help but laugh, "A lot of things are possible in this world, but there will be a man on Mars before I decide to find a guy with the stamina to keep up with me."

"You never know. Mr. Right could be waiting right around the corner to sweep you off your feet."

The cousins share a good laugh unaware of what fate has in store for the young girls and the rest of the Dominion.

**TBC**

**Basically the first two chapters were sort of THEN AND NOW so you could see what our two major characters were like in the past and who they were three years later. **

**REVIEWS!**


	3. Chapter 3 Tribute

**This chapter kind of transitions between Krypton and Metropolis, sort of flowing together so to speak so that you can kind of get more of a feel for our characters.**

**Chapter Three- "Tribute"**

_Ryan laid still almost corpse-like in the mud with his finger occasionally twitching on their own accord._

_Turning him over onto his back, Kal could see that the green of his shirt had now grown darker from the blood that now stained the young prince's hands._

"_How many more have people have die until you see the truth?" a masculine voice calls out from behind causing Kal to turn around stunned at the sight of his father standing there dressed in the military field attire with a large blood stain that centered around the bullet hole in his chest._

_Kal stared up at his deceased father stunned in fear as he began to scramble to his feet only to slip in the mud with a frightened look on the young prince's face, "W-What do you want from me?"_

"_Peace must be made to wipe away the blood that has stained the Dominion, you must succeed in where I failed…" the once future king walked towards his fallen son with a warm smile, "I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you or your mother." he extends his hand towards his son causing the blue stone of his ring to sparkle in the sunlight to the point where it blinds the young prince._

Caleb jerked up from his bed covered in a cold sweat, his eyes searched frantically for the specter that haunted the memory of Ryan's death.

"Dad" was all he could whisper in the night before falling back against the silver sheets and succumbing to the nightmares of war.

* * *

GENERAL'S DAUGHTER HONORED WITH HUMANITARIAN AWARD was on the front page of the society section of the Daily Planet, Metropolis's #1 newspaper in the entire kingdom.

"I can't believe that they actually printed my pictures." Jimmy Olsen says with excitement while he continued to stare at his photos and the fact that his name was finally written in ink.

"What else were they suppose to use? You're the only photographer in this entire city that hasn't been imprisoned or exiled." Chloe jokes taking the paper from him with a playful smile on her face while the pair continued to walk down the busy streets, "What did your dad say when you told him that you got a job at the paper?"

He began rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "I haven't really talked to my dad since we got into that fight."

Chloe slips her hand into his while sporting a warm smile, "Your dad will come around eventually. He'd be crazy not to see what a great guy you are." she rises up to give him a quick peck on the lips before walking ahead of him with a smile on her face while Jimmy stayed behind shocked at what had just happened.

"Well don't just stand there…" she turns around to face him, "We've got a front page to celebrate."

Jimmy tries to hide the redness that was creeping up his neck as he raced after the spunky blonde who seemed to cause his hear to race and his palms to sweat whenever he laid eyes on her.

* * *

The young prince gazed at the tortured soul staring back at him in the mirror, his complexion was paler then usual and the dark circles under his eyes didn't exactly help his preparation for the medal ceremony.

His fingers caressed the scar on his shoulder where that bullet three years ago almost took away everything but quickly shook such thoughts away and turned towards the bed to continue dressing into his military attire

Krypton's military personnel were required to wear a two piece uniform that was gray with a large black stripe going down the middle from top to bottom, the uniform was for formal occasions and had several unique attachments that signaled rank in their armed forces.

Caleb had prepared the finishing touches on his uniform by slipping on the gray jacket and zipping it up all the way up to his neck causing its square collar to stand in between his Adam's apple, the collar had two silver pins bearing the royal family's crest on both ends.

A thin leather strap went across his chest towards the brown leather belt around his waist, all basic uniforms required this as well as thin silver shoulder pads designed to give the soldiers a more intimidating look.

He made sure everything was perfect before stepping out into the grand hallway that led towards the council's entrance where he embraced his mother with a warm smile that masked his true feelings.

Lara smiled sadly at her son while she brushed his bangs out of his face, "I remember when you were 6 years old and you use to run around in a uniform just like this." a smile slowly starts to creep onto his face, "You'd chase your friends around the halls with a wooden sword in your hand pretending that you were one of King Arthur's knight trying to find the grail or rescue a damsel in distress."

Kal laughed at the memory but was cut off from his response by Augo who bowed his head towards them before speaking, "The ceremony is ready to begin and the king requests that your mother be at his side when he presents you with your medal."

The young prince just nodded and kissed his mother on the cheek, "You wouldn't want to keep uncle waiting." he gives her the same warm charming smile that reminded her so much of her late husband.

Augo held his arm out to her and she slipped her arm through his while they walked towards the front of capital which was surrounded by civilians and the press.

Once Augo and Lara were out of sight, Kal turned and headed towards the service exit with hopes of escaping such a noteworthy ceremony where the press would label him a war hero and future king, a son stepping out of his father's shadow to be the ruler that the kingdom would've had if Jerome Eldridge had not died in the war over the Dominion.

The savageness of war had changed his perspective on life, no longer was he the playboy who scorned his lovers or the reckless prince that never seemed to care. Like Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders, the cries of the people were the weight that grounded him to this earth.

"_You can't keep running, Caleb" _

His father's voice called out from behind causing the young prince to turn around only to find an empty hallway, "I'm going crazy" he says to himself shaking away the creepy feeling that swept over his body.

Turning to continue towards the service exit when something inside of Kal caused him to stop, the words spoken moments ago repeated once again from his subconscious as he was compelled to turn around and head back towards the main hallway.

"_No more running."_ that little voice inside his head said with determination while the young prince made it towards the main hallway just in time to hear his name being called from outside by his uncle.

Taking in a nervous breath, he stepped towards the main doors and into the blinding light of the press.

**TBC…**

**This chapter was originally longer but I found the flashback I had at the end of this chapter better suited another chapter so I hope you guys don't mind.**

**Also, as we progress through the story there will be some Shakespearian themes as well as other things that have influenced this story, there's a major betrayal within the story that acts as sort of a sub plot to Clark's main storyline which concerns his father. Also there will be some mention of another war that took place when Jonathan, Gabe, Lionel, Jor-El, Zor-El were the main characters ages and it will sort of tie into the sub plot.**

**Also the idea for the uniform Kal's wearing was inspired by the World of New Krypton series.**

**FEEDBACK KEEPS THE MUSES FLOWING! **


	4. Chapter 4 Savior of Metropolis

**The last couple chapters focused more heavily on Kal so I thought I'd give you guys some insight on who Lois is in this story which might surprise you or not depending on what you were expecting, there is also a scene with Lex that leads into what's gonna happen in the next few chapters and how Kal ends up in Metropolis.**

**Chapter Four- "The Savior of Metropolis"**

The sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floor resonated from the short hallway of the rented building with voices soon following, "I understand your reluctance sir, but by joining the Metropolis Peace Unit it will help rebuild war torn areas near the borders."

Lois sets her bag down by the door and proceeds to walk towards the main office, "You raised me alongside the very soldiers that are giving their lives to build a better country and now I'm doing my part to make sure they have a home to come back to." she stops when a shadow streaks past the glass door leading into her office, "I'll call you later dad, someone just stepped into my office." she flips her phone shut and pulls off the earpiece letting it bounce across the glass conference table.

The door begins to creek open and Lois throws a punch that is quickly blocked by her assailant, a leg reels around ready to strike her in the chest but her hands grab the attacker by the middle of the sole.

They push off from each other ready to throw down when the light reveals the attacker's face, "Lucy?" she says surprised to see her little sister back from the UK.

"Hey Lo" the younger military brat responds with a smile on her face as the two sister drop the defensive routine and embrace each other in a warm tight hug.

Lois pulls away suddenly suspicious towards her sister's presence, "What are doing back home from school?" she pauses for a second to study Lucy's now nervous demeanor, "Did you get caught hustling in the pool halls again?"

"No…" Lucy starts to say until the gaze from Lois causes her to change her tone, "Ok maybe one time but they let me go with a warning. I heard about your award and thought I'd come back home to show my support for my big sis."

"Don't lie to me because I can tell when you're lying to me. Did they kick you out of school?"

Lucy reluctantly nods yes, "I couldn't go back to dad, he'd lecture me about the importance of education and look at me like he was ashamed that I'm his daughter." she is quick to wipe away the invisible tears, "You're the only person I can trust right now Lo."

Not wanting to see her sister cry any further, Lois wrapped her arms around Lucy as a sign of comfort, "Your more then welcome to stay here or at my apartment."

* * *

"_The Kryptonian Kingdom has awarded Caleb Eldridge with the royal emblem, an award that is given to only a select few nobles that have served in the military and shown impeccable courage in the face of danger. The prince was caught in a crossfire with our country's troops outside the province of Hub City; the standoff claimed the life of a young kryptonian solider and left several other officers injured. General Lane is expected to make a formal announcement later today following are coverage of the award ceremony…" _

The TV clicked off and Lex threw the remote down on the leather couch while he turned towards several of his liaisons, "Does anyone want to explain why they are broadcasting news about our enemy during a time of war?" he walks over towards his private bar and begins to make himself a very strong drink, "This is the type of propaganda that will bring this kingdom down and give those mongrel kryptonians the right away to take over the Dominion."

"Perhaps its time that you made your bid for the throne, Lionel is growing weak with age and now would be the perfect time to strike." Tess Mercer says with her hands hidden behind her back while her cohort's attention is drawn towards finishing off the rest of his caramel apple.

Lex shakes his head at the thought, "If I make a run for the throne then my brothers will try to fight me for it and the people don't need another war being fought while we're still in the process of fighting another." he grabs his glass and turns towards them with a thought in mind, "However, if certain past indiscretions come to light then the people might revolt against him and claim me as their new king."

"That's a good theory Mr. Luthor, but what if the people don't want you as their king either? I mean they could side with either Julian or Lucas."

Lex pats his slightly heavyset companion on the shoulder before taking the caramel apple from him and throwing it into the trash, "Otis, have you ever heard of the Greek god Zeus?" he waits a couple seconds before cutting Otis off from saying anything, "Of course you haven't." he pats Otis on the back again before walking towards his desk which overlooked the entire city, "Zeus was the younger of three brothers fathered by the Titan Kronos, Hades and Poseidon were swallowed whole by their father while Zeus was spared and later led a revolt against his father. All his brothers and sisters were freed from their father's belly and later overthrew all of the Titans that opposed them, but it was Zeus who became the king of all the gods leaving his brother Poseidon to rule the sea and Hades to rule the underworld. They could've fought him but they didn't because Zeus was the one that lead them against Kronos and freed them from their prisons."

"So what's that got to do with you and your brothers?"

Tess shakes her head and looks towards her partner; "It means that the people don't want someone who has the title or the birthright to claim the throne, they want a leader… someone that will rise up and fight for the people." she looks back towards Lex with a sense of pride and admiration, "Lex can be that leader."

"I knew there was a reason I didn't fire you." Lex takes a swig from his glass and continues to look out at the giant city with a small glint in his eye, "Metropolis needs a savior and there gonna get one, I just need to stay close to my father to throw him off from my plan."

"But what is the plan Mr. Luthor?"

A smile appears on the young prince's face as he turned around to face the two minions, "We're gonna give the people what they want."

* * *

The empty carton of Rocky Road ice cream had beads of water falling down the side of the packaging adding more to the ring that was forming around it on the glass surface, "This is really a nice office you have here Lo. I can't believe that your boss lets you have your own mini-fridge in such a small room."

Lois picks up the small carton and wipes away the liquid mess before throwing the carton in the small garbage can, "I'm my own boss. When the Isis Foundation was first conceived there was no on willing to sponsor Lana and I, so we worked hard until we could afford to purchase this floor." she wipes off the left over water residue from her hands while walking back towards the small couch with her sister, "People come to us and we help them find their place in the world. We've been working on getting sponsorship from some of the upper class families, but it hasn't been successful."

"What about the Luthors or maybe someone from the other kingdoms." Lucy looks at her sister clearly interested in helping her big sis, "I'm sure that the royals wouldn't deny a chance to look good in front of the people."

Lois scoffs at the idea, "The trust fund babies could care less about helping their fellow man even if it does make them look good in the eyes of the press. Luthor, Wayne, Queen…I don't give a damn what their titles are they're all the same."

"You know that's not true Lo. Some of the royal families have given half of their kingdom to help the people; Bruce Wayne lowered the crime rate in Gotham by fighting against corruption with Harvey Dent, Oliver Queen gave out hot meals to the poor, and I heard that Kal El-"

Lois cuts her off before she could finish, "Don't even start Luce. You know were not suppose to talk about the enemy even if it's just us, the general says that it may promote sympathy for the kryptonians and make us turn against our country."

A small chuckle escapes the younger woman's mouth at such an idea, "I think all the cigars and whiskey is finally going to dad's head." the sisters share a laugh that seems to last longer then expected until the sound of a phone ringing stopped them and caused Lois to rush towards her desk to answer it.

Lucy watched her sister's smile seem to disappear completely leaving a look that resembled their father whenever he was in front of his soldiers or the Luthors, her sister seemed to grow uncomfortable even when she hung up from whoever had called, "What was that about Lo?"

There was silence for a few moments allowing Lois to soak in everything she was just told over the phone, "Something's happened at LuthorCorp Plaza…"

**TBC**

**I know that I'm evil for such a cliffhanger but I thought it was the prefect way to end the chapter so it will kind of tie into the next chapter which will switch back to focusing on Kal then afterwards we'll finally see Kal and Lois meet (I know…it took forever but is well worth the wait) but I may drop a little hint in the next chapter towards a possibility that Kal and Lois know each other but are unaware that they know each other ;) **

**If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask them and I will happily explain them but don't forget to leave FEEDBACK cause it keeps the muse alive.**


	5. Chapter 5 The People

**This chapter picks up where the last one left off only it's in Kal's POV and has flashbacks weaved into it so you can get a sense as to why he's in Metropolis. ENJOY!**

**Chapter Five- "The People"**

Luthor tower was a wonder in modern architecture; it overlooked the entire city as a beacon of Lionel Luthor's supremacy.

He looked away from the building and glanced over towards the quad where he spotted a familiar crystalline statue that stood in front of the kryptonian capital.

Staring at the familiar sight brought him back to several days ago before his sudden arrival at the enemy's gate…

_Kal stared at his reflection nervously smoothing out the long black robes that bore the family crest; it was an article of clothing that all nobles were required to wear when communing with the council._

_Elders often wore white robes giving people the sense of seniority or importance, gray robes with no family crest were often worn by those who had pledge themselves to the service of Rao and were held in high regard, black robes were rare to be worn and often represented mourning but individuals like Kal's father preferred to wear them to separate themselves from the other nobles._

"_The last time the council honored an Eldridge with their presence was when my father claimed that we were on the verge of war, I'll never forget the look on his face when he told us the news." the king rose from his worn leather lounge chair and stood behind his nephew looking over the shoulder at the mirror, "Wars like this can either make or break a man and you've made our family proud." he patted the young prince on the back and turned back towards his desk with the fine aged liquor swirling in his glass._

_The study doors opened and Augo bowed his head to both men before looking towards Caleb, "The council will see you now."_

"Mister Eldridge?" a sultry voice knocked the young kryptonian out of his recollection, "His majesty wanted to be here in person to welcome you to the city but with the current issues plaguing our kingdom he is being detained." she extends her hand out towards him, "I'm Tess Mercer. Let me be the first to welcome you to our city and hope that you enjoy your stay here for however long it may be."

Kal puts on a warm smile and shakes her hand in return, "Thank you Ms. Mercer, I only wished we were meeting under better circumstances."

"I'm sure that once King Lionel hears what you have to say that he'll be enthusiastic in signing your contract" she moves to stand at the young man's side making sure to scan her eyes over his impressive physique before gesturing towards the main entrance, "Shall we continue on?" she flashes a smile and begins to walk away with the prince following close behind.

_The council had many members but only four were chosen to govern Krypton, there was usually an Eldridge sitting in the main chair but instead Caleb's childhood tutor Dexter Ursel now sat as head of the council._

"_Caleb Jerome Eldridge, we have requested your presence in response to your petition to order a stalemate so that you can journey outside of Krypton's borders to discuss a treaty of perpetual peace for every province in the Dominion." the elder kryptonian removes his glasses and looks up at the young royal, "You are aware that by bringing this petition to our attention, we can find you guilty of treason and consorting against the king."_

"_I have served my country to the letter and don't appreciate being accused of treason. Krypton was founded on ideals of peace and compassion, yet we are allowing people to suffer and struggle behind the backdrop of a war that has cost both sides. I find no cause for this bloodshed when a course of peace can be taken, this treaty will allow us to unite the Dominion and move us towards a new age."_

_The sound of someone clapping broke the small silence causing Kal to look towards the elder with slicked back graying hair and a goatee, "I see you've inherited your father's flare for the dramatic." he chuckles and rises to his feet allowing Kal to see the familiar crest on the elder's robe, "You speak of this treaty of perpetual peace as if it was the only option we have to end this war." he steps down from the council pulpit and walked towards the young man, "Even if you succeeded in getting Luthor to sign your treaty…what then?" the elder looks briefly at the prince before turning back to the council, "I refuse to let the future of our society fall into the hands of inexperienced boy who ran at the first sign of trouble just like his father."_

_Kal bites his tongue and clenches his fist tightly, "Despite what you may think about the prince, he is taking a great risk with this contract and I applaud his courage" Ursel says with a sense of pride directed towards the young kryptonian before turning his attention back towards the elder looking up at him, "But this is why the council was created in the first place and you took an oath not to hold prejudice against anyone or anything that stood in front of us or am I mistaken in thinking that you no longer have any interest in being apart of this council."_

_There is silence in the chamber and the elder in question looks frustrated and angry, "Which is it General Zod? Are you going to stay here and precede over this case honestly or will you let your history with Caleb's father get the better of you?"_

_The general just shakes his head and proceeds to walk back towards his seat oblivious towards the small smirk that appeared on the prince's face, "Now that this little tiff is behind us, let's continue."_

_

* * *

_Lex turned around when the doors opened and was almost surprised to see the kryptonian prince standing beside his advisor, "Mr. Eldridge this is the king's son Alexander Luthor."

The two shook hands and he motioned for the prince to take a seat, "I'm sure Ms. Mercer explained to you that my father is tied up with business." he begins to walk towards the bar to fix them a drink, "I'd be willing to deliver your offer to him personally so that you can plan your trip back to Krypton."

Kal takes the glass from him and puts it down on the desk, "I don't plan on returning home so soon and would rather speak to your father about this matter myself."

Lex is quick to hide the emotion from his face when he sits across from the young man, "If you plan on staying here for an extended period then why don't we get to know each other a little better." he takes a quick swig of the rich liquor before continuing, "There must be something we have in common."

At first Kal is silent until he noticed the two swords hanging on the wall and several fencing plaques that were hung alongside it, "You fence?"

The metropolitan prince looked at the wall in question, "It's a skill my father thought would root out the weakest of his sons." he turns his head to look back, "Only the strong survive or at least that's what my father believes." Lex lets out a small chuckle before finishing the rest of his drink and rising to his feet to refill the now empty glass.

"What do you believe Mr. Luthor?" Kal inquires suddenly causing Tess look at her lifelong associate curious to hear the response as he simply took a swig from his glass and remained silent.

Lex looks down into the swirling liquid to see his own reflection staring back at him and before he could respond the doors opened with several large men stepping inside before Lionel Luthor appeared in the doorway with that familiar smug smirk, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting Caleb."

The kryptonian prince rises to his feet to shake hands with the well dressed king, "When you grow up around businessmen you get use to the wait." he turns back towards Lex to shake his hand as well, "I look forward to our next conversation."

* * *

_The bags were packed and lined up near the entrance ready to go, Kal looked around the main house one last time saying goodbye to the people loved and promising to return home safely when all problems were fixed._

_When the car appeared out front and the driver got out to let the young man load his bags into the trunk, he noticed a vaguely familiar man staring at him from across the street._

_Kal couldn't place how he knew the man until he saw the pin shaped like a green circle with a giant red lines crossing from one side to the other in the form of an X._

"_Are you okay?" the driver's question shifts the prince's attention away from the mysterious man, "What?" he asked the driver as if he hadn't heard the question._

"_I asked if you were okay." the driver stares at him with concern, "Are you having second thoughts about leaving."_

_He looked back at where he last saw the man only to see that there was no one there, "I'm fine, just a little nervous about leaving home after I just came back." he puts on a fake smile and pats the driver on the arm before slipping into the backseat of the car._

_When the car started to drive away a thought popped into the young man's head, 'No turning back now.'_

_

* * *

_

Lionel and Kal walked down the long hallway leading towards his private office; "I hope my son didn't say anything that changed your opinion about my family." he seems to grow relieved when Kal responds with a negative shake of the head, "His mother was very opinionated and I fear that she passed it onto him before she passed away." he presses his hands against the wall scanner and enters a password causing the doors to his office slid open automatically.

Kal was impressed, "They weren't exaggerating when they said you had state of the art security technology installed in your building." he took a seat across from the enemy king, "You must be very concerned for you safety what with an alarmingly high crime rate and rumors unbefitting of a strong ruler such as yourself."

Lionel just laughs and leans back in his chair to examine the young man sitting before him, "You've clearly done your research before coming here but I assure you that whatever you've read or heard is an attempt to slander my family's legacy and this city's future."

"I meant no disrespect your highness but it'll be hard to convince the entire dominion that we trust each other if were still fighting each other." he grabs the small bag sitting on the floor and pulls out a blue folder with his family crest printed on the cover in red and yellow ink, "I propose a stalemate until an agreement can be made between our two kingdoms. It would boost morale amongst the soldiers in the field, bring hope to the families, and give field doctors a chance to help out those they couldn't before."

Lionel flips through the folder scanning over the papers briefly, "I admire your enthusiasm Mr. Eldridge but I cant be sure that this stalemate will last or that we'll even reach a point leading towards peace." he rises to his feet to look out over the giant city.

Kal shakes his head and reaches across the desk to retrieve his folder, "It seems that I came all this way for nothing." he puts the item back in the bag and rises to his feet ready to leave, "I'll see myself out." he turns and starts to head out.

"The fact that you'd abandon your quest so quickly makes me think that you were never serious about this to begin with."

Kal immediately turns around and marches back into the enemy king's office, "I sacrificed three years of my life trying to come up with this treaty and just because I'm walking away doesn't mean we're finished with this." he turns back around and slams the door behind him trying his best to let go of the anger that was flowing through him.

A couple minutes later before he could get onto the elevator Tess Mercer appeared out of nowhere saying, "The king would like to extend a personal invitation to the founder's ball and expresses his interest towards discussing your plans further." she hands him an envelope sealed with a wax seal stamped with the Luthor crest before turning around and disappearing down the hall leaving the kryptonian very confused.

**TBC**

**This chapter was a pain in the ass to write, I would write something only to replace it with something else. I just wanted to let everyone know that we probably won't keep switching between POV like in the last chapters since Lois and Clark meet each other in the next chapter. FEEDBACK is Gold!**


	6. Chapter 6 Memoriam

**Chapter Six "Memoriam"**

_**Three Years Ago (Two Months after Ryan's Death)…**_

_Rain poured heavily almost drowning out the sounds of grieving family and friends of the young man whose life was taken too soon._

_Two Kryptonian soldiers stepped out into the rain as they pulled the nation's flag up from the casket causing several drops of rain to fly off before they began folding it into a medium sized triangle._

_One of the soldiers turned with the flag in his hands moved towards Jonathan and Martha Kent, "In recognition of your son's service for our kingdom, it is my highest privilege that I present this flag as a symbol of his sacrifice in the face of unspeakable danger."_

_Martha holds the flag close to her chest while Jonathan wraps his arms around her struggling to fight off the tears as they watched the casket being lowered into the ground._

_Unbeknownst to anyone, Caleb stood in the cold rain watching the service with a pained look across his face at the sight of the Kent's mourning the loss of their only son._

_He left before anyone could see him there; the glass seemed to pull him deeper into the Earth while he continued his journey up the small hill towards another loved one that was taken from him…his father._

_The mausoleum bore a diamond shape \8/ on the small gate's entrance, his eyes traveled around the hidden structure before reaching into his pocket to pull out the ring encased with a dazzling blue stone around the silver band._

_The thought of placing the ring on the steps of the tomb resonated within his mind but the desire to carry its memory won out and the ring was disappeared back in his pocket._

_He looked around the cemetery one last time before walking off into the rain soaked background with a newfound promise to change this world for the better._

The memory faded bringing the young kryptonian back to the present standing in front of the Kent Farm unsure what to do or what to say to them.

"You keep standing there all day and the crows will think you're a scarecrow." Jonathan Kent states with a small smile on his face as he pulled out a ragged old red cloth to wipe the grease from his hands, "Why don't you come inside? Martha just finished making apple pie." he puts the ragged old red cloth back in his back pocket and begins to head inside with Caleb following close behind.

After crossing over the threshold and the screen door closed behind them, he could instantly feel the welcoming warmth within the cozy little yellow farmhouse that was littered with photos of a life full of love.

"We never expected to hear from you after what happened so you could imagine our surprise when you called."

"I thought I'd come to pay my respects to you and your wife while I'm here." he says while looking around the house almost amazed at the difference between this house and the cold mansion he grew up in.

Jonathan sees him stop when he spots the flag encased in a triangle shaped frame along with a photo of Ryan dressed in a military uniform at its side, "I try to keep those out as often as I can but lately with all these rumors of rebellion against the crown its been hard to hide it from the raiders."

He shakes his head and turns back to face the sandy haired farmhand, "It must've been hard knowing that you could never visit his grave or let people know why he died."

"We can withstand anything that's thrown at us as long as we have each other to lean on in a time of need. Ryan use to say it was the Kent Family motto" A hidden smile begins to form but Jonathan seems to shake away whatever had caused it, "I think all my old war stories put the idea into his head that going off to fight for a cause you believed in was something heroic."

Kal struggles to find the right words but remains silent when he spots Martha Kent standing at the bottom of the stairs almost as if she had been there the entire time unnoticed.

The elder couple shared a look with one another almost as if they were having a private conversation without words having to be uttered by the other, "I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation with my husband but I didn't want to be rude when I introduced myself."

"I know who you are Mrs. Kent, I've seen your picture." he says with a small smile on his face that changed quickly to one of surprise when she wrapped her arms around him in a warm motherly embrace.

Her smile seemed to light up the room as she looked up at the young man and said, "Do you want something to eat? I'm sure that apple pie has cooled off by now." she walks towards the kitchen and begins preparing him a plate without having to hear a response.

Jonathan just laughed at the confused look that crossed their guest's face, "I've been married to that woman for a very long time and she still manages to surprise Me." he pats Kal on the back with a small chuckle before heading after his wife.

_**Krypton- Royal Capital (Same Time)**_

A large hulk like man stormed down the halls causing bouts of fear to spread up several young intern's spines at the sight of the giant man and even more fearful towards the man behind him.

The man behind the hulking giant was dressed in the finest dark suit that had a small family emblem shaped like a diamond pointed cross pinned to the lapel of the long coat that flowed almost like a dark cape.

Augo paused in his steps at the sight of the goliath and quickly gathered up what little speech he could, "You-You can't be allowed on this floor without a proper invitation from the council or a request from the king."

The man appeared from behind the giant and Augo's eyes widen at the realization of the man's identity, "Who do you think sent for me?" the man says without a lack of care towards the king's assistant and continued to walk down the hall.

"Even if you had an invitation, his majesty is preoccupied at the moment with the General...I'm afraid you'll have to wait." Augo stands in front of them halting further progress despite the fact that his insides were telling him to run and hide.

The man's giant bodyguard grunted and pushed the small man to the floor allowing his boss to step over the simpleton without a care, "I wait for no one." Augo just nods and watches both men disappear down the hall headed towards the king's private quarters.

"Who was that?" one of the interns asked curious towards the identity of the man who seemed to strike fear into the king's assistant.

He rises to his feet making sure his clothes are fixed and unwrinkled, "That was General Zod's son…Major Lorne Zod."

_Meanwhile back in Smallville…_

The setting sun was a sight to behold and stirred an odd feeling inside Kal that such beauty could exist when there was so much malice in the world, _"How can such a small place like this have such an affect on me?" _he thinks to himself.

He was taken out of his thoughts when Jonathan reappeared from the barn carrying a small box, "During my second tour in the first dominion war I got separated from my platoon and ended up right in the heart of enemy territory." Kal looks at the farmer in surprise, "I didn't know I was injured at the time when I stepped over the boundary into occupied land when your father showed up. Apparently he was headed back to a kandorian outpost after patching up a few frontline soldiers when ran into each other…"

_A snap of a twig caused both soldiers to turn around weapons in hand pointed towards each other with Jonathan having the advantage over the small knife in the kryptonian medic's hand with his rifle, "You brought a knife to a gun fight?" _

_The medic let out a nervous chuckle when he threw his blade to the ground, "I don't really like guns." _

"_Then you're in the wrong line of business." _

"_Just because I don't have a weapon like yours doesn't mean I'm defenseless." Jerome replies when he notices a patch of blood forming on the soldier's pant leg, "I could easily put my boot in that wound on your leg sending you to the floor in seconds where I would then disarm you of your weapon."_

_Jonathan looks at the medic surprised and slightly confused as to how someone in the business of helping the wounded could know so much, "Are you sure you're not a soldier? Cause you sure know how to talk like one."_

"_Helping people is more important than destroying them." He responds with a concerned eye watching more blood seep through, "Your not gonna make it back to your squad if you don't get that leg looked at soon." He starts to walk towards Jonathan but backs off when the rifle is pointed directly at his face, "I'm one of the best medics your gonna find this side of the Dominion and if I don't take a look at that leg you could die."_

_Silence_

"_Well what's it gonna be?"_

_Jonathan lowers the rifle just as a sharp pain shoots through his leg causing him to fall to the ground in pain while Jerome quickly threw off the pack and set it right next to him, "Are you sure you know what your doing?" he asks through the sudden pain._

"_I've done this once or twice." Jerome responds slipping on latex gloves before ripping part of the pant leg and nearly grimaced at the sight of damage, "How long have you been walking on this leg?"_

"_A few hours maybe a day" he looks at the look that crosses the medic's face, "Why?"_

"_A piece of shrapnel has dug its way into your leg. I don't know how you could stand up and walk let alone not feel any pain." Jerome responds looking from the wound to access further damage, "It missed any major arteries and I think if I can pull it out without rupturing anything then we should be okay for transport." He begins pulling out a few things from his kit before sending a quick prayer to Rao for guidance and a steady hand, "Before we do this I just wanna make sure you understand the risk."_

"_I understand perfectly just get that damn thing out of me and patch me up so I can head on back to the field." _

Kal shook his head in disbelief, "A transport took me the nearest hospital and the doctors were saying how lucky I was to have ran into a medic in time or else they would've had to take my leg or worse declare me DOA. Your old man gave me a second chance with Martha." Jonathan says lost in the memories before opening the box and pulling out a silver chained necklace with a diamond shaped pendant hanging freely, "He gave me this before I was shipped back home, said it was an old family heirloom."

He turns to pendant over showing a \8/ symbol in the center instead of the traditional \S/ variation he was use to on Krypton, "After I heard that he was killed, I hid it out here in case the Luthors or any of your father's enemies came looking for it." Jonathan places the necklace into the young prince's hands, "Now I can give it to the person it truly belongs to."

"I can't accept this Mr. Kent. This was a gift from my father to you."

Jonathan just smiled and placed a strong fatherly hand on his shoulder, "I know what it's like to lose a father and feel like you have nothing to hold onto, hopefully with this will bring you some closure."

He stared at the farmer silent not knowing what he could say or do that would show his gratitude towards a family he barely knew but somehow felt a deep connection with.

* * *

After the young major had disrupted their strategy meeting, the general excused himself and his offspring to talk in private which the king accepted and left father and son to discuss their business.

Once they were alone turned around to backhand his son, "If it wasn't for the promise I made your mother then I would've banished you to the PZ a long time ago."

Lorne wipes the blood from his lip and seems to smirk at the idea, "Its good to see you haven't lost your touch father." he grabs one of the fresh apples from the king's desk, "If you just wanted to give me a lecture then I would've stayed in kandorian frontlines where I'm needed." he plops down on one of the lounge chairs and takes a bite of the succulent fruit, "But since I'm here why don't you tell me what you need me to do."

The general rips the apple from his hands and throws it into the trash can, "There was a time when our family was feared and respected by everyone but now we're stuck serving under the Eldridge family like common ingrates…the king's convinced that his nephew can get Lionel Luthor to sign that treaty but you and I both know that can never happen."

The young major just smirks and begins to mock applaud his father's speech, "There's no 'we' and there never will be." he rises from his seat and adjusts his suit ready to head out when his father grabs him by the arm and forces him against the wall.

"As long as I'm still breathing you will do as I say!" the general exclaims angrily, "You are a Zod so act like it!" he lets go of his son and steps away almost disgusted at the young man's behavior.

Lorne seems to go back and forth trying to decide right from wrong before kneeling in front of the elder saying, "Forgive me. I'll do whatever you want me to do."

**TBC**

**I'm not really happy with this chapter but I wanted to sort of show Clark trying to make amends with the Kent family by also revealing a little about what their like in this story but also introduce General Zod and his son.**

**Now as I writing I sort of see General Zod as Terrance Stamp from the Superman Movies and Major Lorne Zod is basically Callum Blue this way there's less confusion and it ties into the nice little sub-plot I have planned for Zod's son.**

**Think of Major Zod as part younger version of General Zod and part a version of Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender where he's trying to honor his father but there's signs of a rebellious nature in him as well as signs that something from his past has shaped him into who he is now (that is a surprise for all of you who keep reading).**

**I don't know if any of you know this little fact but in the comics Chris Kent's kryptonian name is Lor-Zod so that's where I got the name for the son in case anyone was curious.**

**FEEDBACK! **


	7. Chapter 7 Firsts

**The moment you've all been waiting for is happening…right now! Hope it was worth the wait!**

**Chapter Seven "Firsts"**

After saying goodbye to the Kent's and bringing leftover pieces of pie with him back to the hotel, he decided to get of the cab a couple blocks from his destination allowing him to sort of see what the city had to offer before tomorrow.

Metropolis was not the most advanced city like Krypton but unlike others in his country that prided themselves on being a "true kryptonian" he admire the beauty each province had to offer and seemed to be captivated by the golden beacon above the Daily Planet building.

His thoughts were interrupted however when someone ran into him causing the contents of her bag to spill open, "I am so sorry." he exclaims kneeling down to help only to have the woman snatch each object away from him.

"You should really watch where your going." she exclaims blowing the bangs out of her eyes and looking at the young man only to be surprised by the sharp baby blues staring back at her.

Shaking off of her inappropriate thoughts about the mysterious stranger, she rose to her feet, "Not that many people would stop to help. They usually just bump into you and go right on walking away."

Kal looks up at her with a charming smile and rises to his feet, "I guess I'm not like most people." he looks down at the stack of business cards branded with the same company logo, "Interesting name for your company…Isis Foundation has a nice ring to it." she snatches her cards from him and stuffs them back into her bag.

"Are you always this nosey with people you've never met?"

He just shrugs and smiles, "Curiosity is human nature or so I'm told." he watches her throw everything into an already messy bag before zipping it up, "What does your foundation do if you don't mind me asking?"

She puts the bag on her shoulder and moves the hair out of her eyes, "It's not really my foundation, I'm just manning the fort while my friend's away on her honeymoon. But if you're interested in learning more about it I'm sure you know how to use a computer." she begins walking away when she notices that he's still at her side, "Are you some kind of nut job or something? Because I'm obligated to tell you that I'm a black belt and could easily break every bone in your body."

He holds his hands up in surrender and just smiles, "I'm usually not this forward with people especially women but I just wanted to know if you wanted to get a cup of coffee or something."

Lois looks at him surprised at the offer and spontaneously started laughing, "You've got guts I'll give you that. But I don't go out with strange men." she continues walking when Kal stands in front of her preventing further movement, "Do you have a death wish?"

"I'm Joe." he lies as he holds out his hand to her and they shake hands but suddenly pull away when an electrical spark caused their hands to tingle, "Lois" she mumbles while rubbing away the numbness in her hand.

"There, now we're no longer strangers." he states with an infectious smile that she soon reciprocates.

They enter the café unaware of what was gonna happen next…

* * *

One of the hallways leading up to the ballroom was lined with suits of armor from around the globe dating back to different eras that had long since passed. It was one of Lionel's many private collections that were meant to inflate the king's ego and rub his extravagance in other nation's faces.

While other invitees wondered through the many halls examining the many different collections embellishing the truth and partook in the consumption of alcohol, Kal strayed away from the crowd to examine the small aquarium he had spotted on in his way in.

He stared at the tank mesmerized by the colorful seas of fish that danced around each other; there were small ones and large ones as well as the ones you'd find in exotic locations.

Spotting a lone guppy struggling to make its way through the busy stream, he couldn't help but admire the small creature's determination.

Following the little fishes movements quickly stopped when he caught sight of another pair of eyes staring back at him from the other side of the glass, their eyes seemed to lock onto each other instantly as neither fought to stray from the other's gaze.

The young prince rose up to meet the mysterious person whose eyes kept drawing him in until he was under her spell only to see that her face was obscured by a piece of coral.

The desire to se her face caused the heart within his chest to race wildly, "Lois!" a young man calls out oblivious to what was going on and appeared at her side to pull her away without a word.

Recognizing the name Kal raced out after them just in time to see her being led towards the ballroom, they locked eyes once again and she looked surprised to see him standing there, "Joe?"

Just when he was about to say something the lights went off and a spotlight instantly shot out towards Lionel Luthor, "Welcome to the twenty third annual founder's day ball!" the crowd applauds while the king walked towards the small stage.

The applause died down and Kal slowly began moving towards her in the dimly lit atmosphere, "Twenty-three years ago after the first Dominion war ended and our troops came home, I came up with this event to celebrate our city's history. Now more then ever its important that we not lose what makes us metropolitans so that our men and women on the frontlines will know that we didn't give up on them." the crowd roars with applause and the king holds up his hand for silence, "There have been some who have opposed our cause and voiced their concerns so I hope that my guest of honor will put those individuals at ease…I present to you Caleb Eldridge, royal heir to the kingdom of krypton."

Another spotlight instantly turned on him startling the young kryptonian as well as the woman in front of him, the crowd was silent with apprehension but Lois's gaze immediately changed from surprise to anger.

He plastered on a pleased smile despite the icy stares that were being shot at him and stood in front of the podium looking around the dimly lit area nervous as hell but determined to not let it hold him back, "Many of you are looking at me like I shouldn't be here and I understand your apprehension towards my appearance in your city but let me assure you that I am not here to spy or harm this country any further then it already has." He scans the area reading everyone's body language and looks briefly at Lois before clearing his throat while he adjusts his constricting tie, "I petitioned King Zorion to come here in hopes of ending this pointless feud between our two kingdoms so we can rebuild and create a future of peace. By the end of my visit, I hope you will all accept me as one of your own and with your king's help…we can all join hands in peace."

Only a few people clap and the young prince graciously walks off the stage praying to Rao that he we could disappear right now, "Thank you Caleb. Now it's my pleasure to present you with some much needed entertainment." Lionel extends his hand out to the crowd causing music to start playing and the lights to shoot back up as the front doors swung open and an older looking gentleman dressed in a white tied tuxedo, top hat, and cape entered the room along with a young woman dressed in almost the same attire except with black fishnet tights and black knee-high boots, "He came all the way from Shadowcrest to be here along with his lovely daughter Zatanna. I present to you the maestro of magic, John Zatara!" the crowd applaudes eager to see a show.

Kal slipped into the background and started exploring the building with great curiousity until he found himself in a small empty room that only had a rather laege object which was covered in a sheet, He pulled the fabric away from the object and saw a grand piano that looked like it had been sitting in this room unplayed for years.

His fingers slid across the instrument's structure with a small smile on his face, it had been quite sometime since he last set foot near a piano let alone played one out of sheer happiness.

All the music he had within seemed to vanish as he got older and found new means of entertainment, but seeing this piano brought out an old nostalgic feeling inside begging to be released.

Sitting down in front of the keys brought back so many happy memories, his fingers hovered above the keys almost struggling with the decision to play or not to play.

"Lionel won't be happy if he catches you sitting at his piano." Lois calls out from the door way with her arms crossed over her chest.

"If I haven't touched it, then he has nothing to be angry about…" he turns back towards the piano unaware that Lois had walked closer towards him with a curious look on her face.

"Do you play?"

Kal's eyes looked down at the keys with a solemn expression on his face, "I haven't been near one of these since I was eight, my mother use to say that my father would love to hear her play the piano and that when she was pregnant with me that music was the only thing that would calm her nerves." He turns back to look back at her with a different expression on his face, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Surprised me too _Joe_." She says the name with resentment with one hand on her hip giving off signs that she wasn't exactly please with his lies, "Do you always lie to people?"

He immediately rose to his feet which made their proximity a lot closer then they had anticipated, "The only reason I lied to you was because no one was suppose to know about my arrival until tonight and maybe for once I wanted to be able to talk to someone without them seeing me as a prince."

"Is that suppose to make me feel sorry for you?" she crosses her arms over her chest and gives him that 'give me a break' look, "You're not the first noble to be caught in a lie and surely not the last." She starts to walk away but stops to say, "When we were talking the other day, I felt that we had a real connection but now I can see that I was wrong." She disappears out the door with Kal following close behind her.

When they reached the ballroom Lionel appeared at his side with a smile on his face and said, "Would you like to lead the first dance?"

Kal tries to get out of it but couldn't come up with a perfect excuse and is pushed out into the empty ballroom with people staring at him with the same looks as before, he straightened his suit and looked around until his eyes once again landed on a familiar set of hazel causing his feet to move towards her, "Would you give me the honor of this dance Ms. Lane?"

She shook her head but soon caught the stern look from her father and put aside her feelings as well as a fake smile when she slid her hand into his and he lead her towards the center.

The orchestra began to play and the two waltzed along in silence until finally she asked in a hushed whisper, "What do you think you're going to accomplish by dancing with me?"

He just smirks with a reply, "I'm sorry for lying to you but just give me a chance to show you the real me, if you don't want to then I will gladly accept defeat and forget all about this but if you still feel that connection then maybe someday we could be friends…maybe even more then friends."

"Is this your way of asking me out?"

"I'm just asking you to give me a second chance at a first impression."

While people started dancing around them almost in unison, Lionel walked towards General Lane with that spark in his eyes cementing a plan, "The prince seems quite taken with your daughter." He says taking a sip from his champagne glass with one eye on the dance floor and the other to gage his general's emotions, "Imagine the look on Zorion's face when he discovers that his own nephew is smitten with the enemy. He'll be so blinded by this that when the right opportunity comes to strike, he won't know what hit him." He finishes his drink and places it to the side, "We'd have Krypton in the palm of our hands."

General Lane looks away from his daughter to his king, "I won't subject my daughter to your schemes and I certainly won't have her gallivanting around with the likes of him."

"Just think of the possibilities Samuel."

**TBC**

**So I'm gonna leave it there, I wanted to have the beginning scene with Lois and Clark in the last chapter but it didn't really seem to fit right with the flow, when I was writing the scene of when Lois and Clark/Kal dance I had "Chairman's Waltz" from the **_**Memoirs of a Geisha **_**soundtrack in my head.**

**FEEDBACK!**


	8. Chapter 8 Ulterior Motives

**Chapter Eight- "Ulterior Motives"**

_**Suicide Slums**_

A man dressed in raggedy clothes walks around his makeshift laboratory mumbling to himself while running his hands through his wild brown locks.

"Dad!" a young teenage girl calls out and places a hand on his arm stopping the insane whispers, "Are you okay?"

The man's face looked worn with stress with black circles under his eyes gave off signs of fatigue but he just smiled at the girl moving her blondish brown strands out of the way, "I'm fine Quinn." He places a fatherly kiss on her forehead and walks past her towards a giant computerized laboratory table full of test tubes, beakers, and note pages full of kryptonian writings, "Just need to finish a few calibrations." He slips a pair of dark goggles over his eyes and heads off towards the tarp covered corner of his lab.

"You've been working on that thing for months now and I haven't even seen you take a single break or sleep."

He turns around and exclaims in frustration, "I'm fine!" the look that crosses his daughter's face causes him to pull the goggles from his face and step towards her with a regretful look on his face, "I'm sorry. Why don't I go get dinner ready and you can tell me all about what you've been up to." He places a kiss on her forehead before walking off towards the kitchen when something on the TV catches his attention.

"_Sources close to the crown tell us that Caleb Eldridge, famed prince of Krypton has indeed been living in the city of Metropolis in an attempt to draft a peace treaty with our king. Many citizens have met the prince's arrival with a mixed response with several afraid that the kryptonians are using their future leader as a pawn to invade the city to which the King responded as saying it was 'untrue' and 'ridiculous' LNN will keep the citizens of Metropolis updated as this breaking-" _The TV screen cracks when a large metal pipe is rammed against it causing it to fall off the small stand where it began to spark.

Quinn runs to the site of the loud noise and is surprised to see her father standing in front of the broken device his chest heaving back in forth in anger as his hand gripped the pipe tightly, "Dad?" she asks in a calm tone while advance towards him cautiously.

The pipe fell to the ground and he followed suit repeating the same phrase over and over again almost in a trance like state, "They found me."

"Who?"

He shakes his head negatively when suddenly he grips his head in pain, "C-Call Dr. Hamilton." The pain in his head becomes so unbearable that he lies on the cool cement floor while Quinn ran off the get her cell phone oblivious to the fact that her father was rolling up one of his sleeves to reveal a three sphere symbol branded on his skin that appeared to be irritated despite the fact that the symbol looked like it had been there for a very long time.

"_Damn you Zorion!"_ he thought to himself while he gritted his teeth when another spasm of pain started causing the sleeve to go right back to covering the brand just as Quinn ran back to his side, "Dr. Hamilton said he's be here as soon as possible." She places a hand on his shoulder with a sad look on her face, "Just hang in there dad."

* * *

King Zorion looked on at the young major who relayed a theory to him without moving or changing emotion like the perfect solider, "That's quite enough Major Zod." He says holding up his hand to silence the solider as he rose up from his throne causing everyone in the room to bow in respect, "You are very wise and determined for your years."

Lorne Zod put his hands behind his back and watched the king move towards a server carrying a tray of fresh fruit from outside the border of Argo City, "With all due respect sire, Prince Caleb is unprepared for the tasks put forth by the council and am merely offering my assistance to the crown in order to bring peace."

A scoff escapes Kara's mouth but quickly grows silent from the cold stares coming from her father and General Zod, "Be that as it may, having someone with your reputation on the warfront would be beneficial to our cause." The king pops a grape into his mouth enjoying the sweet flavor oblivious to the looks exchanged between major and general Zod, "By time Caleb comes back home with the treaty signed, you'll both be celebrated heroes and all the splendors of victory will be yours."

The king waves his hand in dismissal and people flock out of the throne room all except Kara, "Do you have something to say daughter?" she shakes her head negatively while the king pops in another grape, "Go finish your studies." He commands ignoring the glare she was sporting.

Kara bowed to her father and turned around to leave when his voice called out, "Its best if you don't meddle in matters that are of no concern to you." She walked off leaving the king to his thoughts.

The young blonde kryptonian stormed past guards and random people when something caught her eye, her aunt Lara was standing in the study staring at something with different emotions crossing over her face.

Pictures of the past stared back brining memories that caused a small smile to appear on the elder woman's face; a younger version of herself smiled at the camera with her arms wrapped around both Jerome and Zorion Eldridge dressed in their graduation gowns, another picture was of a six year old Caleb dressed as a knight with a tunic over the fake chain male with one side being red and the other blue, the final photo that caught her eye was taken a few days before her beloved had left for active duty and caused her eyes to sparkle with a long dead joy at the sight of his charming smile.

"Father hardly comes in this room anymore." Kara said appearing at her aunt's side looking distressed, "He says that dwelling on the past will drive someone to obsess about what was and not what is." she looks towards Lara with a small smile, "I think it's good to look back and reminisce about the good instead of dwelling on the bad."

Lara rubbed the wedding band on her finger and turns to face her young niece with a small smile on her face as she places her hand on Kara's arm just as a mother would her own child, "Sometimes it's best to remember." She begins to walk out of the room when a sudden feeling comes over her, it was a feeling she had not felt in years since Jerome's passing.

Meanwhile, General Zod and his son walked into his private office not showing any signs of anger or frustration unlike his son who threw his coat on the seat fuming at the ignorance krypton's sovereign lord showed him, "Calm yourself son before the entire council hears you."

"All of our planning means nothing now; the king cares too much for his own nephew to see that this could go either way and mean the end of krypton if Caleb was to fail."

General Zod shook his head and walked towards his son with his usual cold stare, "You let your emotions rule your mind just like your mother." He sees the look of sadness cross the young major's face and sighs as he places his hand on his son's shoulder, "The king will listen to reason and if he does not then I will simply explain to him the seriousness of the situation." He moves the hand from his son's shoulder and pats him lightly on the face before turning back towards the desk, "But in order for this plan of ours to work, I'll need to know that you won't do something stupid and irrational."

"I won't father, I've learned my lessons well."

The general smirks at this and walks towards the mantle behind his desk to pull out a silver metallic box, "When our plans come to fruition, the Zod bloodline will be restored to its rightful place as the true rulers of krypton." The lid of the box slides open automatically allowing the elder Zod to reach into the box to pull out a battle worn red flag with the house of Zod symbol in the center, "Krypton will rise again to its former glory and everyone in the Dominion will kneel before Zod." He grips the tattered flag tighter in the palm of his hand while his son looked on with a sense of pride.

**TBC**

**I know its short but I wanted to short of introduce you guys to one of the big sub-plots I have planned for this story. Major Zod's storyline will merge with Clark's and in a way sort of mirror Clark's journey in a way but it'll be different because Major Lor-Zod is basically plotting to bring down the Eldridge family like anyone with the last name Zod would try to do lol but also when he gets to Metropolis and meets a certain red head with the initials TM he finds his loyalty to his father in question and I'm hoping to sort of go the way of a redemption story for that character. *spoilers***

**I'm also interested in hearing your theories as to who the Raggedy Man is and why he's afraid of the Kryptonians especially the Eldridge family. His identity won't be revealed until a couple chapters later maybe in 10 or 11, I'm still working on that but you might be in for a surprise. ;)**

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	9. Chapter 9 Hello Again

**Chapter Nine- Hello Again**

When Lois walked through the doors of the Isis Foundation she was put off at the sight of floral arrangements scattered across the room, each assortment a different type of flower in every color possible but what caught her off attention was the single stargazer lily that stood in the center with a note taped to the vase with her name written on it.

_Didn't know which was your favorite but maybe you can tell me over dinner. Tonight 8- Kal_

A small smile unconsciously appears on her face at the note, "WOW!" the sudden voice of her sister caused Lois to fold the note and slip it into her coat pocket before turning around to face her, "It looks like someone raided a greenhouse." Lucy looks around at all the flowers and touches several of the petals, "Are these from you know who?"

"It's from our clients." She lied, "They heard about Lana's marriage to Pete and sent them to congratulate her." she starts heading towards her office with Lucy following close behind, "We might have to resend them all back."

"How are you gonna send all these back if half of them don't have cards?"

Lois stopped almost certain that her sister would see through the quick lie and reached into her coat pocket, "They did come with a card." She admits handing the card over to her little sister and continuing on towards her office.

Ten seconds later a loud child like scream of glee echoed through the Isis Foundation offices followed by the sound of rushed footsteps, "Your going out on a date with royalty!" she exclaims appearing in the office doorway, "Oh my god. What are you gonna wear? Is he cute?" she rambled on incoherently while Lois sat at her computer ignoring every question that was thrown her way.

"Are you done?" Lois asks frustrated at her sister's behavior, "I'm not even sure I'm going out tonight. I've got work to catch up on and-"

"Oh you're definitely going." Lucy cuts her sister off and practically pulls her up from the chair, "Think about it Lo, how many women get to say they've been on a date with royalty."

"That's exactly my point. Caleb is the future king of our enemy and my father is the one in charge of making sure they lose this war." She pulls away from Lucy running her hands through her hair while taking a deep breath, "He probably has a betrothed back home and is only going out with me to get some kind of rebellious kick out of it."

"How do you know? He could be the complete opposite."

Lois scoffs at the idea, "I know men and Caleb Eldridge is as common as they come."

_**Several Weeks Later…**_

Caleb Eldridge was a very persistent man and didn't understand the concept of Lois being uninterested in going on a date with him.

So when he showed up at the Isis Foundation with another stargazer lily it was an understatement to say she wasn't happy to see him and she even stated it to his face when she went to accept the flower.

"Why wont you go out with me?" he followed close behind her like a puppy dog, "I can understand you still being mad at me about lying to you but don't you think this has gone on long enough"

She immediately turned around to face him, "Let's get one thing straight. You are the future king of my country's enemy and I'm the daughter of its general, if you're looking to get your Romeo and Juliet fix out of me then you've got another thing coming." She began poking him in the chest several times throughout her small rant.

When she went to poke him again he grabbed her hand quickly holding it mid-air as he stared down at her with a heated look, "I don't know who these Romeo and Juliet people are, but kryptonian men are known for getting what they want." He leans closer to her invading her personal space by doing so, "And I want you to go out with me tonight."

Warmth spread through her over the look in his eyes while her heart began to beat faster when his thumb began rubbing her hand, "Come on Lane. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I guess I have no choice." She relents but before he could celebrate his victory she cut in with a serious tone, "But we're gonna go over some ground rules first. No looking at me with those bedroom eyes of yours, no kissing, no hand holding, and certainly no going back to your place. Those are my rules and if you have a problem with that then the date is off."

No woman had ever been that strict with what they could and couldn't do on date. Usually the type of girls that took an interest in dating him were either after his title or to see if the rumors about his bedroom activity were true.

So it was safe to say that being around someone of Lois's personality was refreshing and would make their night together even more interesting than he thought possible.

"Fantastic!" he exclaims with a smile and lets her hand slip away from him as he quickly grabbed a piece of paper to jot down something before slipping it into his pocket, "Be ready at 7 PM sharp." He looks her over quickly and smiles, "And wear something nice but casual."

"Wait!" she calls out before he could walk out the office door and when he turned around fearing that she had changed her mind about their date she simply stated, "I pick the place" he smiles and nods while inside he cant help but laugh at how forward she was with everything from how the date went to where it was to take place.

He turns around and walks away leaving Lois standing in the middle of her office stunned by the fact that she had a date with him tonight.

"What did I just agree to?"

**TBC**

**I'm just gonna leave it there cause I like to end with a cliffhanger making you want more *evil laugh* I didn't originally want the chapter to be shorter but it just came out that way but I hope you enjoyed it!**

**FEEDBACK makes the world go round!**


	10. Chapter 10 Disasters and Surprises

**Chapter Ten- Disasters and Surprises**

A large map of the Dominion was sprawled out across the oak table with different colors to signify the provinces and cities that belonged to the five kingdoms all expect the areas near the border of Krypton and Metropolis which were covered in miniature troop pieces placed there like a chessboard.

"We can't charge past Smallville without upsetting our agreement with the locals and we can't enter Blüdhaven or Gotham without the King's consent." Sergeant Wes Keenan states looking over the layout of the battlfield before looking back towards General Lane for guidance.

"Any word on Wayne's whereabouts?"

"The last anyone has heard of Bruce Wayne was…" he grabs a file and begins flipping through it until he stops at the right page, "A year ago when he was seen in Themyscira with Queen Hippolyta and her daughter."

The general took in the information trying to figure out a way to advance on the enemy while juggling the idea of an alliance between Gotham and the Amazons, _"If they team up and aid Krypton in the fight against us then we don't stand a chance in hell of winning this war."_ He thought to himself with his gaze moving over towards his somber king, _"We're running out of options"_

Just then the doors to the war room opened and Caleb came rushing in looking frazzled, "I'm sorry that I was late, the roads here are very congested ." The kryptonian unbuttoned his coat and placed it around one of the chairs, "What did I miss?"

General Lane and Wes shared a brief look but stayed silent as they made sure that the recent plans were not seen by the enemy's eyes.

"I hope your stay here is satisfactory." Lionel finally speaks rising from the chair and walking towards him, "After an agreement is reached between our two kingdoms, I trust that you will stay here longer."

Unaware of the lies that were being feed to him, Caleb continued on with the stalemate discussion in hopes that the first step would lead towards an evntual peace treaty between Metropolis and Krypton.

* * *

When the time finally came and the knock on the door sounded Lois raced around her apartment nervously, "Just a minute!" she calls out while struggling to put on her heels as she grabbed her coat and purse as she proceeded to open the door where Kal stood there dressed in a dark suit with a smile that caused her heart to race, "Hi" she says trying to mask the nerves coursing through her body.

He just smiled right back and replied, "Hello again." He reaches over the take her coat so he could help her put it on causing their bodies to stand closer together, "You look…" his eyes trail over her black dress with a hidden fire in his eyes, "Radiant."

"You said something casual yet fancy so my sister insisted that I wear this." She locks her door and turns around to face him slipping her hand through his outstretched arm trying to fight off the sudden onset of butterflies that were currently flopping around in her stomach while they made their way down to the main floor.

She stopped suddenly when she spotted the car they would be taking to their unknown location, "Is that what I think it is?" she asks gesturing to the sleek looking Audi R8 sitting near the curb.

He looked from the car to her, "We can take a taxi if you prefer."

"No that's okay." she says walking towards the passenger side which Kal quickly opened for her, "I'm so use to taking the subway or taxi to get somewhere that it's actually kind of refreshing to be on a date that didn't require any money."

"I guess that makes two of us." He replies with a smile as he opens the passenger side door allowing her to slip into the comfy sports car, "Where to?" he asks once seated behind the wheel.

Lois's begins to bite a small part of her lip in thought which causes Kal to smile while he silently watched her thought process, "There's a place I've been dying to go but every time I get there all the tables are full."

"Well point the way Ms. Lane."

The engine roars and the car peels out with Lois acting as his GPS through the whole ride until they were halted by a pesky red light, "You mentioned a sister earlier." He begins hoping the small talk would help break the ice and make the light turn faster, "I take it you're close with her."

"It's a long story."

"We have time." He gestures towards the large traffic and burning light, "Quid pro quo Ms. Lane."

"How do I know you'll tell me the truth? You havent exactly been honest with me."

He nods his head with a chuckle emitting from his throat, "I guess I deserve that." He doesn't look at her but his eyes are downcasted towards the dashboard as a distraction, "I've never been good with this type of thing. Most of my experiences have ended badly and I'd be lying if I said that I was happy being alone."

A honk of a horn knocks some sense into him as the light turned green and he began the rest of their journey when suddenly she spoke, "My mother died when I was young." She grips her hands tighter fighting the sadness that wanted to break free, "I had to look after Lucy while the general looked after an entire army."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must have been hard having to be both a mother and a sister."

"Sometimes." She replies with a sad smile but quickly shakes off the negativity when she notices that the last turn was coming up, "Make a right here and it should take you there." She instructs ignoring the sudden feeling that surrounded them in the closed knit area.

The Audi pulled to a stop and Kal looked at the busy crowd with a disappointed grimace when he noticed something across the street near the park, "How do you feel about hotdogs?"

She looks confused at such a random question, "I like them just as much as anyone else. Why?"

He parks the car a few blocks from their intended location and quickly jumps out of the car to open the passenger side door for Lois as they walked over to the small hotdog stand.

"You two came at just the right time." The vender takes their orders and just as quickly hands them over, "That'll be five bucks." Lois almost chokes on her food and looks ready to say something but Kal intervenes by handing the vender a ten.

"Keep the change." He offers generously as he began walking off towards the park entrance.

"Is that guy for real?"

Lois doesn't respond but looks back at the vendor giving her thanks before rushing off to join her date, "Young love" sighs the vender watching the two walk off before turning back to push the cart down the street.

"So you're a reputed lothario, a war hero, and a generous tipper. Is there nothing Caleb Eldridge can't do?"

"The press likes to impose on my personal life and shape everything I do to fit some type of story that'll sell."

"Basically what you're saying is that everything written about you is a lie." She looks at him curious to find out who was the man behind the title, "I mean I've heard stories about how you fought off a whole platoon of soldiers with nothing but a knife and a shoelace."

Kal laughs and begins coughing on the last remaining pieces of his food before it slid down roughly, "What could I possibly accomplish with a knife and shoelace?"

"I don't know." She shakes her head negatively with a smile, "I guess that's what happens when you come home a hero." He suddenly stops walking causing her to turn around and face him confused, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not a hero." He replies throwing his scraps in the trash before leaning against a tree, "The only reason they call me that is because I'm a prince and the kryptonian people wouldn't fight my succession if I did something courageous in the face of battle." He shoves his hands into his pockets, "We lost a lot of good people even my best friend to whatever the hell it is that we're fighting for."

"I didn't mean to upset you Kal. It's just kind of hard to decipher what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to you."

"I think it's best if we hold off on the background information until our second date."

"What makes you think there'll be second date?" Lois challenges him with a smirk and a look in her eyes that caused a smile to appear on his face again, "Not that many men can survive a first date with me and few have tried."

"Well maybe I'm not like most men." He pushes off from the tree and steps closer invading her personal space, "You'll find that I can be very persuasive when it comes to getting what I want." His warm inviting presence drapes over her like a blanket with his eyes warming her insides and the feel of his breath caused goosebumps.

Their gazes drop down to each other's lips simultaneously as the heat began to build between them, "And what do you want Mr. Eldridge?"

He leans closer looking almost like he was gonna kiss her, "Dessert" he whispers against her lips and right before they could even touch he pulls away, "Are there any ice cream shops around here?" he asks acting as if nothing had happened between them leaving Lois baffled, confused, and a little disappointed.

**TBC**

***Evil Laughter* I bet you guys were inching closer wanting them to kiss before I pulled the rug right from under you lol and now you guys are probably upset with how I ended things but rest assured that when they do kiss it'll be when they get to know each other a little better or possibly the UST gets the better of one of them and one jumps the other.**

**I wanted their first date to sort of be like a toe being dipped in the pool to test the temperature before jumping in, they didn't exactly start off well and Kal wants a second chance at a first impression so I thought it was best to lay out some things and also to set up date #2. ;)**


	11. Chapter 11 Secrets

**I'm really excited about this chapter because it introduces something that's gonna play a big part in Kal's journey of self discovery and also reveal a few new things about his father that he never knew about. The hint is in the chapter title ;)**

**Chapter Eleven- Secrets**

When Lois walked through her apartment the next morning she was bombarded with questions about her date with Kal by her enthusiastic sister, "Lucy!" she exclaims silencing the young woman after repeated queries, "If you must know we ate a hotdog in the park and just talked about whatever came to mind."

A look of disappointment crossed Lucy's face and she slumped in her chair, "Well that sounds boring." She takes a sip of her coffee and turning back to watching the Style Network, "Did you at least get to kiss him?"

Lois just plops down right beside her sister and grabs the remote turning it back to the news, "Hey I was watching that!" Lucy exclaims trying to get the remote back only to have Lois pull away holding it high above her head, "Your no fun Lo" Lucy pouts rising from the couch and walking towards the kitchen.

"My house. My rules." She replies with a smug smirk on her face that soon faded when she turned her attention back to the news which was showing a rundown part of Metropolis and the ensuing frenzy as the coroner wheeled a black body bag towards the dark van.

"_The body of Wesley Dodds was discovered shortly after the body of Sylvester Pemberton was found in an alleyway located in the heart of the city. Police Commissioner Henderson stated that the special crimes unit or SPU is hard at work to determine if the murders are connected. Many may remember Dodds and Pemberton as members of a rebel organization that targeted key members of parliament and sought to overthrow Lionel Luthor from the throne. Many have speculated that these rebels were responsible in the death of Queen Lillian and the death of Krypton's-"_

Lois hits the mute button and let the remote sliding across the coffee table just as Lucy appeared at her side, "What's up sis?" She just shakes her head unresponsive to the inquiry and rise from her seat, "Your kind of starting to freak me out." Lucy says concerned about the sudden change in behavior.

"I'm fine just got a lot on my mind." She looks up at the time and suddenly begins to rush around the house, "I'm late for work!" she comes out of her bedroom dressed in her work attire and grabs her coat just as Lucy appeared in front of her holding her bag, "Thanks."

_**Suicide Slums**_

The raggedy man rolled down his sleeve after Dr. Hamilton was done drawing blood from his unbranded arm, "Quinn's worried about you." The doctor states looking towards the concerned teenager before turning back to the man, "You can't keep this up Milton. What you're doing is killing you." The man known as Milton just shook his head and rose up from the chair, "Is all this worth it?"

Milton looked over towards his daughter, "If I don't finish this then she'll be stuck in this gutter for the rest of her life when I'm the one that put us here. With Prince Caleb in town it's even more dangerous for her to be around me." He starts walking back towards his self built laboratory, "I'm so close to finishing the project that I can almost taste it and when I finally prove that it works then we'll finally be able to go back home."

Dr. Hamilton just shook his head following close behind, "You may not have that long." The statement causes Milton to turn around to face his physician with a confused look, "The device in your arm is causing major nerve damage and it's affecting your brain to the point you may slip into a coma in the next year or so."

"More than enough time to get everything done."

"Damn it Fine! This is not some game where you can play god…think about Quinn."

"Why do you think I'm doing this!" he exclaims loudly causing Quinn to look over towards them confused and he quickly lowers his voice, "Once I show the world what the Brain Interactive Construct can do then they'll no longer call me the terror of Kandor. Krypton needs this…I need this."

Dr. Emil Hamilton has no choice and just shakes his head negatively while he reaches into his coat pocket to pull out a bottle of pills, "These should stop the tremors for a little while. Take one as soon as you feel another attack coming on and they should do the trick." He turns and walks away unwilling to listen to the man's gratitude as he makes his way to the main entrance only to be stopped by Quinn, "He should be fine." He reassures her with a false smile and pats her lightly on the arm before leaving father and daughter alone once more.

* * *

A woman in a wheelchair stares at the numerous monitors with her main focus on the news report of Wesley Dodds and Sylvester Pemberton's death, "We have to warn the others." She says to the shadowy figure standing behind her, "If Luthor is hunting down old members then they have a right to know that their lives are in danger."

"No" a rough voice belonging to the figure responds, "Luthor's not dumb enough to do something like this. We're dealing with someone else…someone that knows who we really are."

The woman wheels her chair to face him, "Our primary focus should be on warning the others before anything else." The man doesn't respond which causes her to look at him with disbelief in her eyes, "Your not suggest that we just leave them out there as bait. What about their families?"

He doesn't answer just turns around to walk away leaving the woman to call out his name, "Carter!" she calls out to him again but grows silent when the main door slams shut leaving her to roll her chair back around to stare at the bright monitors.

"Damn it." She mutters before slipping on her glasses and going to work on locating the old members despite what their fearless leader thought.

* * *

Numerous files were littered over her desk needing her signature for approval, "Working hard?" a smile appeared on her face when she turned to see her old childhood friend Lana Lang, they embraced in a hug before Lois pulled away to see that her friend had shorter hair and a small diamond ring on her left ring finger, "You go away for two years and come back a married woman…what happened to the Lana Lang that wanted to branch out and become an artist?"

The raven haired beauty just laughed, "I traveled around the dominion doing every odd job available until I found myself in that little town outside the barrier called Smallville."

"That still doesn't explain the ring…it's huge."

Lana stares down at the piece of jewelry with a small smile, "Pete's trying his hand at politics. I tried to tell him that I was fine with a small diamond but he insisted on getting me something worth hanging onto."

Lois looked surprised and just shook her head in disbelief, "Wait until Chloe hears about this, she's not gonna believe it."

The two friends finished the rest of the day talking and catching up on old times when Lana shifted the conversation to the state of her foundation, "When I asked you to look over this place I didn't think you'd be running it."

"Well you know me. I can never sit still long enough besides we built this place together its only fair that I look after it."

"What if I just gave it to you?" Lois looked at Lana like she had suddenly sprouted a second head but it wasn't until she dropped another bombshell that she really left Lois speechless, "Pete and I are having a baby. He wants to raise it in Smallville until its old enough to move back to Metropolis." Lana reaches over to grab her hand gripping it tightly, "I can't run Isis anymore now that my life is finally starting to turn around and I know that you love this place just as much as I did. You're the only person besides Chloe that I would trust to run this place and Metropolis needs it more then ever."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say that you'll accept my offer."

Lois looks conflicted and weighs the pros and cons of running this foundation on her own, "If it means that much to you then I suppose that I don't have any choice. This place would go under if I ever left."

Lana responds by wrapping her in a tight hug, "You have no idea how much this means to me and Pete. Thank you for doing this."

Although she didn't show it…Lois was terrified.

**TBC**

**Were you surprised or did you already figure out the identity of the raggedy man? The idea for this version of Milton Fine was kind of inspired by James Marster's look in **_**Caprica**_** and also for those you don't know but Brainiac 5's name is Querl Dox so I just thought I'd throw that out there and let you think of it what you will.**

**Also the introduction of the JSA is connected to Kal's storyline because later on in the story I plan for him to meet them face to face *spoiler* and the introduction of Lana Lang or Lana Ross was not only to have something to do with Lois but like the title says she's keeping a secret but don't worry that wont interfere with your clois.**

**The next chapter will have Clois/Kalois date # 2 which may or may not involve a happy ending ;) I'm trying to not have so much Kal and Lois because I want the relationship to seem natural as it evolves through the story but eventually things will pick up I promise.**

**FEEDBACK!**


	12. Chapter 12 Raindrops and Kisses

**Chapter Twelve- Raindrops and Kisses**

It was close to three weeks from the time she took full control over the Isis Foundation for Lana and since she last spoke to Kal, who was currently circling around the media circuit trying to sway the citizens of Metropolis into trusting his cause.

With the lights clicked off and the shades drawn down, Lois walked out of the door where she quickly went to lock it but when she went to enter her code on the sidewall panel she immediately let out a startled gasp causing her keys to drop.

Kal was leaning against the wall staring at her with that same charming smile on his face, "Did I scare you?"

"No"

The smile seemed to grow larger when he reached down to retrieve her keys, "What are doing here? Shouldn't you be doing an interview with Barbara Walters or something?"

He lets out a chuckle and responds, "Well I tried calling but couldn't get through so I thought I'd surprise you."

"You succeeded" she responds grabbing her keys before turning back around to quickly enter the code letting the device beep several times before a green light flashed signaling that everything was secure before heading off towards the elevators with Kal following close behind.

"For someone that was raised by a military official you sure have bad manners." He states earning a glare from Lois just as the elevator doors closed on them, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing just not something I'm use to."

"Oh really?" she exclaims with a smirk when she turned her head to look at him clearly going to enjoy toying with him, "I suppose all the women in your country just throw themselves at you begging to share a night in your bed or do they just throw undergarments at you with their phone numbers written on them."

"Krypton is very different from Metropolis. Women are expected to be respectable citizens with proper etiquette although there have been several occasions with some of the noblemen's daughters and that one time with a kryptonian actress named Lyla Lerrol but they didn't last very long."

"Why?"

He shoved his hands deep within his pockets trying to avoid coming off as embarrassed or nervous to answer her inquiry, "Love isn't a luxury where I'm from." She looks at him confused causing the kryptonian prince to elaborate more on the subject, "When we're born a sample of our DNA is taken to analyze the genetic potential, those of us that come from noble bloodlines are the most sought after genetic matches for bonding rituals. Those bonded do not feel the need for courtship or meeting each other face to face until it's time to marry or conceive an heir."

Something had struck her curiosity through his explanation and turned her body to face him clearly, "Are you bonded to someone?"

"No" he exclaims rather quickly and is taken aback by the question, "It's a very long story that evolves a lot of bad history for my family that I'd rather not talk about."

"Okay. Why don't we talk about something else over dinner?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Ms. Lane?"

"Maybe…maybe not." She replied just as the elevator doors opened allowing her to walk out into the hall but stopped to turn around and face Kal with a playful smile, "That is if you think you can handle a second date with me."

"I think I can handle anything you throw at me."

* * *

Kal grimaced when he stared down at the slightly burnt meatloaf and undercooked potatoes, "When I said I can handle anything I didn't think you'd be cooking." He says while Lois returns from the kitchen with a bottle of wine.

She looked at him for several minutes allowing the silence to engulf them before finally she began cracking up laughing, "Relax Kal. I ordered some food for us; this was just to see how far you're willing to go to impress me. This was just leftovers from my attempt at home cooking for Lucy."

He doesn't show it but inside he was relieved although he would've gladly eaten the food out of respect, "I'll have to cook you something next time. There's an old family recipe my mother use to cook before we moved in with my uncle."

"I thought you've lived on the royal grounds since you were born."

"You have to understand that after my father died there were so many people worried about my mother and my upbringing it was a madhouse every time we would step foot outside." He walks over to take the wine bottle from her and removed the wax covering as he continued, "I was a newborn who had just lost his father and after my grandfather died the crown was given to my uncle."

"Wait a minute. Your father was next in line and since you're his son you would've been named king, what happened?"

He just smirked at her ability to connect the dots when few had, "My father planned to abdicate his succession from the throne. He was planning to live in a quiet area of Kandor where the sunset lasts for hours and the whole place is covered in ice during winter." He pops the cork as Lois hands him the glasses, "After his death few knew about his plans and since it was never officially written then my right to the throne was intact but the council ruled that since I was still just a baby that the crown would have to go to my uncle. He became king and my mother moved us back to Argo City where she raised me by herself until I was 7."

"What happened?"

Kal placed the unfilled glasses side by side while he waited for the wine to breathe, "My aunt had recently passed and he thought it would be better for the whole family if they lived together with her helping to raise my cousin and vice versa. She didn't voice it out loud but I knew she was upset." He looks back at her with a charming smile, "Enough about me. I want to learn more about Lois Lane."

"Well I already told you about my family life. What else is there to know?"

"Everything"

"There's not much to tell. My father sent my sister to private school after private school but she kept getting in trouble so he shipped her overseas but I can't really blame him for wanting what's best for Lucy." She reaches over to pour her glass, "When mom died all the general could do was the only thing he was best at…treating us like soldiers putting me in charge of her while he was busy raising Lionel Luthor's army." Little traces of resentment were evident in her voice although she did a very good job at hiding it from him as she took a sip of her wine, "But enough about our personal history…What's Krypton like? The General says it's a very cold place with lots of brainy scientists."

He just chuckled not touching his unfilled glass with his attention clearly focused on Lois at the moment, "He would be right. My country has a very strange climate even during summer it's never really that hot in fact when its winter time the whole place is so cold we mostly stay indoors."

"I bet the streets are full of kids playing in the snow."

"Krypton is a very strict society. Our elders believe that the knowledge we carry later on in life comes from our development as children, when we're old enough we begin learning the teachings of Rao and taught how to use our logic over everything else."

"Kind of like a Vulcan." She states causing Kal to look at her confused, "You know…_Star Trek_." She holds up one of her hands performing the Vulcan salute as she says, "Live long and prosper….Its a TV show"

"Oh" he exclaims finally connecting the dots, "Well I can assure you that we're not like these Vulcan's. Through my countries history there have been numerous civil wars and a plague that almost destroyed us, when the council was formed they decided that it would be better for Krypton's future if we developed a more scientific way of life to promote peace instead of war."

"And I thought my dad was tough. You must've been a real boy scout when you got older."

Kal just scoffed playfully at the idea of him being a boy scout, "Are you kidding? I was a nightmare full of teenage angst and hormones. My mother was one step away from sending me off to military school."

"So that's why you were considered the kryptonian bad boy. I remember reading an article in the Inquisitor about an affair you supposedly had with the Princess of Themyscira."

"Well actually that's one was a misunderstanding. My uncle and I went to Themyscira on a goodwill mission and she was simply thanking me for helping her with a little problem she had." He responded rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"So you never made a move on the Amazonian princess?"

"I didn't say that. She may or may not have punched me after trying to kiss her during a sparring match." They share a quick laugh when the sound of something vibrating caused Kal to take a step back to pull out his cellphone where a text message was waiting for him but he quickly flipped it shut and put it back in his pocket.

"If you need to be somewhere else I'll understand."

"There's no place I'd rather be right now." He grabs the bottle and pours himself a glass, "Work is done with for today and I'd rather forget about my worries to focus solely on making this date last."

"So this is a date." She steps closer with an amused look on her face, "I thought there was something strange about you wanting to come up for dinner." He smiles down at her after taking a small sip, "You are a quite the puzzle."

"Am I?" he inquires leaning closer with that charming smile still on his face, "Most women usually call me a lothario or the perfect catch but never have I been referred to as a puzzle."

"I like puzzles. Just when you think you're close to solving it something else comes along and throws you off course."

"Never took you for being the type that does puzzles." The sound of something ringing causes Lois to disappear into the kitchen unaware that Kal was following her, after waiting until she hung up did he decide to finally make a move and he did…he kissed her right when she turned back around.

Lois went from stunned to relax as she practically melted into his embrace where she responded to his kiss with her arms draped over his shoulders, a spark almost like static electricity shot through their bodies while the connection between them grew stronger.

Wrapping her tightly in his arms, Kal lifted her onto the counter while her legs wrapped around him pulling them closer.

Just then Lucy stumbled into the apartment carrying bags making quite a ruckus causing Lois forcefully push him away causing him to stumble and crash to the titled floor with a loud thud, luckily Lucy was busy listening to the latest track on her iPod.

When Lucy put the bags down and took off her headphones she was surprised to see her sister walking out of the kitchen rather frazzled but what really caught her attention was the fact that the Kryptonian prince was standing right behind Lois, "Oh my god!" she exclaims while getting closer to him making sure it was really him, "Your Kal Eldridge."

"Unless there's another man running around pretending to be me." He jokes taking her hand into his to give it a quick shake, "I was just stopping by and must have lost track of time." He moves past her to grab his coat.

"You can stay if you want. Lois never has guys over and you're her first." Lois immediately pinched her sister telling her to be quiet as Kal just smirked and faced them, "All my friends will be jealous when they hear about this." She says reaching into her jacket to pull out her phone.

"I'll walk you out." Lois says moving past her sister to grab her coat while giving him an apologetic look, "This wasn't how I was expecting date #2 to go." She states when they get to the elevator.

"To be honest I thought you would've been a little tougher this time around seeing how are last date ended." He sticks his hands into his pockets while watching the numbered floors flash as the elevator continued its descent towards the lobby, "I was fully prepared to turn on my charm."

Lois just scoffs playfully at the idea of his supposed seduction, "I'm immune to any kind of charm you throw at me. I've seen it all before."

He looks at her and just smirks, "We both have trouble with romance, to most people that might sound like fate."

"I didn't think Kryptonian's believed in such a thing."

"Most don't but I like to think that there's a reason for everything even the simplest of things." He reaches over intertwining his hand with hers and lifts it up to his lips, "To be continued for another time." He smiles releasing her hand and immediately feels the loss of her warmth when he steps off the elevator and turns around to give her a small wave just as the elevator doors closed.

Lois leaned her head against the wall and just smirked while Kal did the same thing as he made his way back to the car when it suddenly began to rain.

Looking up towards the dark sky, Kal just shook his head letting out a small chuckle and slipped into the safety of his car unaware that in the shadows someone was lurking snapping photos of him.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13 Old Friends and New Alliances

**Chapter Thirteen- Old Friends and New Alliances**

Fine made shoes tapped against the onyx tiled floor headed from the elevator doors towards the receptionist's desk, "Excuse Me." A rough accented voice called out causing the blonde receptionist to look up and immediately swoon over the gorgeous face staring back at her, "Is this the way to Lionel Luthor's office?" the man asks while pointing towards the double doors at the end of the hall.

She is silent but responds with a nod of the head sending the young man to head off in the direction only to be called back by the now standing receptionist, "Mr. Luthor is in a very important meeting right now. You can't go in there."

He just smirks and continues walking down the long hallway ignoring the woman's incessant cries to stop, the large guard at the door tried to block him from entering the room but the man immediately grabbed the guard's hand twisting it until it let out a sickly crack and kicked the behemoth through the double doors causing all eyes to look towards the intruder.

"Zod." Kal says the man's name surprised to see his old friend standing in the doorway dressed in his traditional black suit with his kryptonian dog tag hanging from his neck, "What are you doing here?" the prince demands walking towards the kryptonian major, "Did my uncle send you?"

"Some many questions and no greeting for an old friend." He smirks and the two kryptonians perform the warrior's handshake, grabbing each other's forearms as a sign of brotherhood and friendship unlike the usual handshake that Metropolitan's were accustomed to, "My father convinced your uncle to let me come and aid you in ending this war. He thought it would be better to have two kryptonian soldiers rather than one."

Kal turns towards the large group and looks towards Lionel to say, "This is Major Zod. He's a friend of the family and one of the youngest kryptonians to ever receive the rank of Major so quickly in his military campaign."

Zod bows his head in respect to the group but suddenly stops when the security guard he had knocked out began to awaken, "When you've been on the frontline as long as I have you tend to forget how to assimilate back into society."

General Lane dismissed the guard who gripped his wrist and began to limp away, "You have a lot of nerve to assault one of the king's men." The general states giving them a cold stare that was ineffective, "This meeting doesn't concern you." He pops the cigar back in his mouth and walks back towards the battle plans.

"With all due respect, Major Zod is someone that I trust with my life and would rather have him here to help us end this war than to chase the tails on our asses." Kal states patting the kryptonian major on the back before walking towards Lionel where they started to whisper amongst the crowd.

General Lane and Major Zod just stared at each other trying to size the other up until Lionel dismissed the clearly unimpressed General before turning his attention back to Kal, "If you trust him then he's welcome to assist in anyway he can but to an extent."

Kal smirked and bowed to Lionel in respect, "You won't regret this." He walked back towards the major where they proceeded to catch up on old times.

Several hours later the doors opened again and Tess walked past the kryptonians ignoring the look Major Zod gave her as she whispered something to the King causing him to immediately end the meeting early and rush out of the room.

"How did this happen?" he asks his assistant clearly distressed while the made their way towards down the long hallway, "Julian was suppose to be in Star City to convince Oliver Queen to align our cities against Krypton. He was suppose to be safe."

"I know sir but apparently the bodyguards lost track of him."

Lionel let out a silent curse throwing the doors open causing them to crash against the wall alerting Lex to his father's presences, "If you've done something to your brother I will never forgive you."

Tess turns around the close the doors keeping prying eyes and ears from seeing this, "I can assure you that I haven't done anything to Lucas."

"I'm talking about Julian.'

Lex immediately rose from his desk with genuine concern on his face, "What happened?" he looks from his unresponsive father over to Tess who relayed the story of his little brother's disappearance to him causing the prince to run his hand over his hand, "You honestly think that I would harm my own brother."

"Are you saying you had nothing to do with this?"

That question immediately caused anger to course through his blood at such an accusation, "If I wanted him dead I wouldn't have fought so hard to save him after mother tried to smother him."

Lionel reacted by slapping his son across the face, "How dare you tarnish your mother's memory."

"It's the truth, one that you won't accept just like everything else." He wipes the blood from his lip and walks back around towards his desk, "If you want to find the person responsible for his disappearance look to Lucas or maybe the kryptonian you've embraced with open arms."

The king stood there for a few minutes before turning around leaving the two alone, "I expect you to give me any information towards my brother's whereabouts before giving anything to my father."

She just nods, "What do you want me to do once I find the person responsible?"

"Do what you do best…eliminate them." She prepares to leave when Lex calls her back causing her to turn back around, "Make it look like an accident, I don't want father thinking I had any part of this."

Tess leaves the office and begins walking towards the elevator when she notices major Zod waiting for the elevator car to arrive, "Must be nice." He says suddenly but she doesn't turn to acknowledge him, "Working for a powerful man like Lionel Luthor."

"It has its perks." The doors open and the two step inside, "But then again you would know all about powerful me, seeing as how your father is Krypton's General."

He looks at her clearly impressed, "You've done your research." He looks down at his watch counting down the minutes, "and it only took you five minutes after meeting me in the war room."

"The king expects his assistant to be resourceful and quick to find information even on the most secretive of people."

"You must good at what you do then."

"Damn straight" she responds with a cocky smirk on her face just as the doors slid open allowing the major to step out, "Be careful Major. This city has a way of changing people."

"Is that so?" he asks keeping his hand against the side to prevent the doors from closing, "If this were Krypton I'd say the same thing to you." He steps back but not before saying, "Till we meet again, Ms…"

"Mercer, Tess Mercer." The doors close and Tess just smirks as the car began its journey down into the basement of Luthor Tower where she walked through the pipe lined halls until reaching her office.

_**Krypton- Royal Capital- Same Time**_

Zorion tried hard to rub away the headache but pushed through the pain while listening to the council drone on about his nephew's task, "I think it would be best if we ended this meeting early." Lara said after noticing her brother in law's distress, "The King is just as concerned towards Caleb's tasks but for now he needs a moment of peace."

The council members left the king and Lara to the silence of the throne room, "Thank you." He says softly while pulling the circular ring that acted at his crown from his head and placing it to the side where he ran his hand through his short buzzed cut hair, "Now I know how my father felt during the war against Black Zero."

She smiled and comforted by rubbing his back to show that she was there for him, "The weight of our world is on both your shoulders. It's understandable if you feel this way once and a while."

He reaches to stop her hand keeping it on his shoulder, "My brother was a lucky man to have such a compassionate woman at his side." He places a soft kiss on the palm of her hand which causes her to immediately pull away putting distance between them, "Forgive me. I do not wish for you to be uncomfortable around me."

"I must go see if Kara needs help with her studies."

"Lara" her name falls of his lips rather intimately as he rises from the throne while she kept her back to him, "We've lost the ones we love in such tragic ways. Maybe it was time we moved on, become the family I always dreamed that we would one day become." He dares to touch her shoulders as he inhales the scent of her blonde hair closing his eyes in delight.

"My heart belongs to Jerome." She responds jerking away from him and turns to face him with an unyielding look on her face, "No matter if he lives in this world or the next, he will always be the one for me. Caleb is his son not yours just as I will never be." She leave the mighty king of krypton allow in the dimly lit throne room.

"After all these years and you still cant have the one thing you want the most." A voice causes him to turn around to see General Zod standing there, "Such human emotion from a man who once thought of himself as the archetype for being a true Kryptonian."

"That's enough Zod!" he walks back the throne where he grabs the crown and slips it back onto his head giving the General a sign of who was in charge, "Don't lecture me in the ways of the past or have you forgotten who promoted you to general."

The general just smirked devilishly, "I think the question that needs to be asked is...Have you forgotten all that I've done for you?" he steps closer to the king in a threatening manner, "I wonder what the people will think if they really knew what kind of monster you really were. All those people that once worshiped the ground you walked on would turn against you including Lara."

Zorion reacts and immediately punches General Zod sending him stumbling back only to turn around to be face with the dagger the king kept hidden, "Don't think for a second that I wont use this."

"I don't doubt it. This new version of the Zorion Eldridge I knew wouldn't have hesitated that night." General Zod straightens his robe and begins to leave the room, "Have a good night…sire."

Once the general was gone, Zorion sheathed the knife and fell back into the throne allowing the memory of that night enter his mind.

_Jerome the heir and future king to the noble house of Eldridge stared out at the wreckage of war, the soldier's steel connecting with the other in attempt to soften the blows they were being dealt._

_His hand trembling at the sight of the men waging war before him, the painful piercing blue eyes trailed through the foggy atmosphere only to spot his brother struggling to defeat his gigantic opponent._

_The grip on his sword tightened letting the blue hue of the ring on hand glow brighter as he raced through the muddy territory quick to dodge oncoming assaults and take them out in a peaceful non-lethal manner._

_Zorion falls to his knees from the blow being dealt by his gigantic warrior, his head is pulled back as the brute figure smiles wickedly at him "Prepare to die, Prince Zorion"_

_He pushes Zorion away and raises his arm where the long barrel of a gun stares him in the face signaling the end._

_The young prince squeezed his eyes shut praying to Rao that his death be quick and painless, it wasn't until he heard the sound of a struggle that his eyes jolted open to see his brother trying to wrestle the gun away from the determined warrior._

_Nothing could prepare him for what would happen next…BANG!_

_Jerome's blue eyes grew wide as he let out a pained gasp when the bullet ripped through his body causing the future sovereign to fall into the muddy battlefield out of breath with Zorion at his side kneeling still in shock over what had occurred._

_Only the laughter of the warrior that had taken his brother's life was what snapped him out of his thought and sent the young man into a blind rage as he pulled the revolver from its holster and fired without hesitation._

_When the smoke rose and the war ceased, the last prince of krypton stumbled to his feet with his brother in his arms._

Zorion shakes the images from his head and bowed his head in shame over the memory that followed while the portrait of his brother looked overhead, "Rao forgive me." He whispers into the darkness.

**TBC**

**I want Jerome's death to still be a mystery but let me assure you that little tease is not how you think it ends for Kal's father. **

**STAY TUNED!**


	14. Chapter 14 Incursion

**Chapter Fourteen- Incursion**

Kal stared off into space not responding to anything Zod was saying as they made their way down the sidewalk as he proceeded to show his old friend around the city he had grown accustomed to in such a short amount of time.

It wasn't until they passed a newsstand that he was knocked out of his thoughts by a picture of himself plastered on the cover of the Inquisitor where the headline said, _"Royal Affair? Kryptonian Prince caught leaving apartment building"_

Quick to grab the newspaper where he scanned the article concerned that his growing relationship with Lois was exposed and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that there was nothing there to be revealed just theories.

Putting the paper back, Kal turned around to face his friend who stared at him clearly confused as to sudden change in behavior, "What?" Kal asks tucking his hands into his pockets as he made his way further down the street.

"Is what that paper said true? Are you seeing someone in the city?"

"What I do with my spare time is my business and mine alone. My title brings with it people that will do anything to be thrust into the spotlight sprouting lies about my life."

Zod becomes even more curious towards the identity of the woman that Kal was protecting, "So you admit that there is someone." A smirk appears on the major's face, "King Zorion will not approve of this."

Tired of the constant pressure that was mounting on his shoulders since arriving in the city he finally snapped letting the stress get to him, "I don't care what he thinks! If people are so damn interested in my personal life then they should ask me instead of sending you to do their dirty work."

"I'm not here to spy on you." Lies Zod who places an almost brotherly hand on his shoulder as a form of comfort, "I swore a blood oath to protect Krypton and all its people. I apologize for my intrusion it was not my intention, I was simply looking out for you."

"You are a true friend." Kal turns and continues walking down the street oblivious to the conflicted look that appeared on his friend's face.

* * *

After walking around the city, the two kryptonians eventually found themselves at the Brownstone Museum a place neither had ever been before.

"I remember the last time you got us lost. It was after graduating from the academy and you stole your uncle's bottle of Kandorian Wine that he had been saving for a special occasion, we wound up somewhere outside the boundary with a hangover the size of Texas." The men share a laugh at the memories they had together as they made their way down the empty hall.

Zod notices something in the corner and walks over to pull the cover off the display only to have a look of surprise cross his face, "Kal come look at this." His friend walks over at him side and is stunned to see a white crystal with the Eldridge crest etched out in blue.

Kal stared at the crystal confused because the Eldridge Crystal went missing before his father's death and was never recovered or heard from until now.

"We're closed." A rough voice calls out from behind causing them to turn around and see a man with short brown hair dressed in a worn brown leather jacket, "Take your party someplace else."

The kryptonian major holds his hands up in surrender and begins to walk out but Kal stays behind still enthralled by the crystal, "Where did you get this crystal?" the prince asks looking towards the man with a determined look.

The man looked over at the display and replied, "It was given to me by a friend." He walks towards Kal almost as if he had recognized him from somewhere but quickly shook it off, "He died a long time ago." He covers the display with the fallen cloth, "You should leave now, I won't ask politely again the next time."

"Wait" Kal calls out stopping the man from walking away, "That crystal belonged to my father and I want to know why you have it." He walks up to the man and makes the wrong move by placing his hand on the man's shoulder.

The scruffy man spun around and twisted Kal's arm behind his back before either kryptonians could blink, "Leave." The man growls pushing the arm further causing the prince to cry out in pain.

He is soon released and begins to rub his sore arm as the two men leave the man alone in the museum, "Carter!" a woman called out followed by the sound of wheels rolling against the surface, "Do you have any idea who that was?"

Carter just grunted and walked away with the redheaded woman following behind, "That was Jerome's son. How could you just turn him away like that?"

"I've got enough problems to deal with right now and digging up old ghosts is not on my to do list. If you want to tell him what his father did then go out there and get him, oh wait you can't because Barbara Gordon died years ago."

"That's not fair. I had to fake my death to save Dick and Bruce so don't you blame me for your incompetence." She rolls her chair past him oblivious to look that crossed his face but quickly stopped, "We've all sacrificed something to be here. I lost my ability to walk and you…"

"Don't" he cuts her off already aware of what she was going to say, "Just don't."

"Jerome may not have been an official member but he helped us even when he knew the consequences…Caleb deserves to know the truth." She wheels her chair around to face him and reaches over to touch his arm, "You owe him that much."

Carter gives in and nods in acceptance, "When he's ready then we'll reveal ourselves but for now let's focus on the other problem at hand…our survival"

* * *

Tess looked up and immediately rose up from the chair when the king came charging in with that look on his face that signaled that he was plotting something, "Summon General Lane!" she nods and rushes out of the throne room to phone in the king's request.

Lionel ran his hands through his mane slicking his back even more when finally the general appeared clearly frustrated by the late call, "I want you to send some of our soldiers at Black Creek on a mission."

Sam Lane's face immediately shifted at the request and looked at his king confused, "Excuse my bluntness sire but the inmates at Black Creek haven't been the most cooperative with our plans. They clearly detest working for you."

"I appreciate your honesty Samuel but right now I want you to shut up and do what I ask without question or do I need to replace you with someone more loyal."

Fighting off an angry retort, "No sir" he replies clenching his fist rightly and bows in respect to the monarch before turning around to put in the request.

"Tess!" he calls out and smirks when he sees her rush back in looking frazzled although she tried to hide it, "How long have you worked for my family?"

"Since my mother's passing…almost eight years sire." Replies Tess unsure of why he had asked such a question.

A sad smile creeps on his face although she doesn't notice due to his back facing her at the moment, "You've been like a daughter to me never once questioning my motives even when they were wrong. Lex hungers for my throne, Lucas is busy sowing his royal oats with god only knows who and Julian…" he pauses the subject of his younger son a sore subject since the young man was still missing, "The point I'm trying to make is that you're the only one person in my life that has never strayed from her loyalty and for that I'm offering you the chance at greatness."

"I'm deeply honored." She bows her head to the monarch, "What is it that you will have me do?"

"There are rumors of rebellion growing to the east and I can not have the people of this kingdom turn against me. You are to escort the metahumans to capture the supposed leader of this rebellion and bring him to me alive." He turns his head to look at her over his shoulder before moving back to staring out at the skyline, "His name is Jonathan Kent."

Tess bows her head once again, "He will be set before your feet in a matter of hours. I will not let you down…father." She turns around to leave him to watch the setting sun giving the night control again.

Lionel didn't move from the spot only once to pour himself a drink which gave him a welcome relief as a memory entered his subconscious.

"_She is my daughter!" Pamela yelled holding the young child at her side protecting her from Lionel for fear that we would taint the child's soul just as he did with Lex when Lillian died, "You will not take her away from me!"_

_Lionel advanced towards her only to have her move away with the young girl in her arms, "I would never hurt you or Lutessa. I am the king of this realm and you have no right to keep my child from me."_

"_King or not you will have to take her from me when I'm dead"_

_He looks down at the child before looking back towards Pamela, "Do you really want to talk about this now in front of her." the woman looked regretful as she squatted down and whispered something to the girl who looked up at Lionel before walking off leaving them alone._

"_There's no use fighting me anymore, she will eventually be apart of my family and you know that will happen." His response causes her to look sad at the idea of her only child being handed over like a pawn, "I'll admit that I am not the best father but I can assure you that I will love her just as I love my sons."_

"_Love and control are two completely different things. My daughter will never know what's like to be under your shadow because tomorrow I will take her far away from Metropolis where not even the great king can reach her." She starts to walk away when Lionel grabs her preventing her from leaving, "You've lost Lionel. Accept it"_

He was knocked out of the intense memory and looked down to see his hand tremble but he quickly balled it into a fist and hid it in his jacket pocket ensuring that no one saw his weakness.

* * *

Jonathan looked up from the broken tractor to see Martha watching him from the loft stairs and gives him a smile that he quickly returns, "Last time you watched me work on this thing was when Ryan was little."

"His ability started to bother him and you suggested that he help you rebuild the motor as a stress reliever." She walks towards him where she runs her hand over his back, "You two must've worked on this thing for hours and it took days to get the stains out of both your shirts."

Stopping his movements and wiping the grease from his hands, Jonathan rose up to meet his wife where he grasped her cheek with that same infectious smile that got her to date him in the first place.

Interrupting the lovely moment was the sound of numerous SUVs racing up the dirt driveway prompting the sandy haired farmer to peek out the barn doors to see the Luthor crest stamped on the driver side doors of the cars, "Martha I want you to get into the storm cellar and hide there until they leave." He walks up the loft where he digs through the old steamer trunk that belonged to his son, "After they leave I want you to call Kal and tell him everything that happened." He pulls out Ryan's service pistol and removes the clip to see that he had only eight rounds in the magazine but quickly readied the weapon and tucked it behind in his pants.

"Why Jonathan? What do they want?"

"I don't know." He gives her a long kiss and quickly pulls away, "Go now before they catch you." She nods and sneaks out of the back way headed towards the storm cellar while Jonathan made his way towards the front of the barn ready to use the weapon if needed.

"Can I help you?" he calls out to the group causing the youngest of the group to stand ready to use her abilities only to be stopped by Tess.

"Luthor wants him alive Plastique" she says stopping the metahuman from using her ability on the headstrong farmer and turns around to walk towards him, "By order of the King I have been instructed to arrest you."

"What are the charges?"

"Treason"

Reaching behind him Jonathan pulls out the gun and drops it out in front of Tess who looks at him surprised, "I'm a former soldier of the King's army, if the king wishes for my arrest then I will not fight you."

"That is very honorable of you Mr. Kent. Most would've shot me already and taken off running."

Jonathan doesn't responds just hold out his wrist to her to which she quickly places the cuffs on him and leads him towards the car but not before picking up the fallen gun and placing it at her side when she gets situated in the front seat ready to convey the king's prisoner.

* * *

The guards sat Jonathan down in the chair in front of the King, "I understand you served in the Metropolitan Army during the first Dominion war, is that correct?"

"My father was in the service and I just followed in his footsteps like you did with yours."

Lionel just smirked and cleared his throat while flipping through pages of the file, "If that were true then I owe your family a great thanks for serving our country. However, it has come to my attention that your son enlisted in the Kandorian military and recently died three years ago during an ambush. Why would someone allow their only child to fight against the very kingdom he was raised in?"

"When I said my father served I meant that he was one of the rebel farmers fighting against your men for Smallville's independence. The men in the Kent family are sworn to uphold a sense of honor even if it means we betray others, Ryan moved to Argo City to study Kryptonian Literature and loved the place so much he became a citizen."

The king took in this new information and jotted down a few notes in the file, "Rebellion is not something I enjoy having in my kingdom." He closes the folder and hands it to Tess who had stayed by his side the whole time, "If our cities weren't in an agreement with each other and had you not served in my army then you'd be on the way to a maximum security prison awaiting charges of treason."

Jonathan looked at the sovereign surprised by the last piece of information, "You mean I'm not going to be executed."

A laugh soon escaped Lionel's lips at the question and rose up from the chair where he was quick to button his suit, "Back in my youthful days I wouldn't hesitate but now I've grown tired of punishing people who obviously don't deserve it. Metropolis is entering a new era of peace and prosperity…it'll be an age of hope."

"The day a Luthor brings any hope to the world will be when your family is no longer in control." Tess smacks him across the face causing his head to jerk to the right and a cut on his cheek from the ring on her finger, "You see what I mean." He states looking over towards Tess who was being silently scolded by Lionel, "A king does not rule with an iron fist instilling fear in his people. Love and compassion is what's needed to be a great king, the type of king that Kal will be someday."

"You put faith in the man that caused your son's death." Lionel moves to stand closer to Jonathan who only looks away disgusted with such a thought, "Do you want to know the truth?" he waits a few seconds before continuing, "We received word from a source across the line that the prince was going to be alone on a mission so I sent my men out there to eliminate the threat." He grabs Jonathan's face forcing him to look at him, "If I had know what your son was capable of then I would've order them to be taken alive."

A look crosses Jonathan's face and Lionel just smirks, "A telepath is always useful to a man of my resources." He moves up releasing the man's head, "I would go into detail about what I mean but your not going to remember anything after I leave this room. You will wake up tomorrow like this was all a dream." He nods his head to Tess who leaves the dark room and begins walking down the hallway only to see Kal making his way towards her in a haste.

"Is he in there?" The prince asks looking towards the room she had just exited and moves to head over towards the direction only to have her block his path which he quickly pushes past her knocking her to the side as he almost ripped the door open to see Jonathan Kent strapped to the chair and Lionel looming over him, "Let him go now or our chances at peace are over."

Lionel looks at the prince and takes a step back, "He's all yours." the king leave the kryptonian prince by himself with Tess walking alongside.

"I should've known this would happen" Jonathan groaned while Kal removed the bindings who looked at him confused by the statement, "Lionel has been trying to take over Smallville for years now. He was just waiting for a way to get around the agreement and I'm afraid now with this charge of treason he'll start an inquisition of the citizens."

"We won't let that happen Mr. Kent. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone in that town is safe from Lionel Luthor."

Kal escorts Jonathan out of the dark room all the way towards the entrance until he is suddenly stopped by a hand on his shoulder, "There's something you should know about the night Ryan died."

**TBC**

**The end of this chapter directly impacts the next one and expands the Clois relationship more; it also introduces us to more mysteries, twists and drama hopefully you enjoyed it.**

**FEEDBACK would be nice so I can know if you guys like it or not. Reviews kind of help ease my mind about the story and also I'd like to hear your opinions.**


	15. Chapter 15 Hardship

**Chapter Fifteen- Hardship**

An incessant banging awoke Lois from her sleep and stumbles at first while she makes her way to the door with her bunny slippers sliding across the carpeted floor when suddenly the knocking became more rushed, "Don't get your panties in a twist! I'm coming." She yells through the door before unlocking the numerous locks on her door only to be surprised to see Kal standing at her door looking shaken and distressed.

"I didn't know where else to go." He steps inside allowing her to close and lock the door behind him as he just stands there, "I was going to walk to the hotel to clear my head when I must have wondered off and found myself at your door."

Lois walks around to face him and is clearly concerned by what she sees, Kal had black circles under his eyes and his hair looks disheveled along with his clothes. "What happened to you?" she asks pushing aside some of the out of place hair from his face causing him to push into her warm touch as a welcome comfort.

There was a warm silence between them until Kal stepped away from her only to miss the warmth he felt, "I shouldn't have come here but I didn't know where else to go." He walks past her and sits down on her couch, "Lionel arrested a friend of mine for treason and now he might try to start another war with the people of Smallville."

"My father would never let that happen. He knows those people aren't fighters, they won't last a day." She walks around to sit at his side, "But that's not what's bothering you is it?"

He just shakes his head negatively and ran his hands over his weary face, "For three years I've carried what happened to Ryan on my shoulder and today I just found out that I was the reason he died." He fights off the sadness and instead slams his hand on the coffee table causing Lois to jump at the angry outburst, "Luthor's men were gunning for me and that's the reason we were ambushed…" he looks at her clearly distraught by what he was saying, "Its all my fault."

Instead of speaking Lois just wraps him in her arms tightly where he finally breaks and clings onto her as he sobs over the reopened wound of his best friend's death, "Its all my fault" he repeated that to himself several times in a hushed tone until Lois pulled away to grab his face forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"It's not your fault Kal. He knew what he was signing up for and so did you. When my mother was still alive she would always sit and wait for my father to come home either on his own two feet or in a pine box." She wipes away the tears from his face and presses her forehead against his, "All we have in life are moments. Some are wonderful like making snow angels when you're a kid or just watching the sunset and others…" she pauses trying to think of the right words to say but couldn't grasp it.

Lois never got the chance to finish her sentence because Kal used his hand to pull her to him crashing his lips against hers in a very wanting kiss, one that made her toes curl and cause the beating of her heart to race.

* * *

"Sire you realize by arresting Jonathan Kent you've put our chances of peace at risk. The people of Smallville will start supporting the Kryptonian's campaign against us."

"You think I don't know that Samuel!" Lionel snaps from his position on the throne as he finished off the glass of wine and gestured to a servant for another glass, "I'm on the edge of losing everything I've worked my entire life for. Zorion is breathing down my neck and we still are unable to locate Julian, the last thing I should worry about is Caleb Eldridge." One of the servants refills the glass and takes a step back from the king who took a sip allowing the red liquid to sooth his irritated soul, "There has to be a way to solve our problems all at once."

"Perhaps I can be of some service." A voice calls out causing the King and General Lane to look towards the doorway to see Kal's kryptonian friend standing there, "My father is the General of Zorion's army and believe me when I say that he doesn't like taking orders from the Eldridge family anymore than you do." He steps closer despite the look that General Lane was giving him, "You want more land and to find your son well I can help. My squad is very talented at doing the dirty work of kings."

"What do you have in mind?" asks Lionel clearly intrigued by what the driven kryptonian had to say.

He just gave the king a smirk that to some would resemble his father General Zod and to others it appeared that he was crafting a scheme one that would end in bloodshed.

Tess immediately entered the room in a hurry and walked towards the king where she whispered something to him that caused the King of Metropolis to stop cold all emotion fading away from his face as he looked towards his assistant almost pleading with her that this was a lie but it wasn't.

Julian Luthor was dead.

* * *

_Darkness was all he saw with the only light visible was from the moon which cast a bluish light in the mirror room which had been built for his grandfather as a birthday present from Virgil Swann._

_Kal stared at the reflection in the mirror to see himself dressed in military fatigues with blood on his hands causing the prince to reel back in a panic only to run into another mirror this time showing a different reflection of Kal but only older with signs of gray in his slicked back hair and goatee as he sat on the throne alone with such emptiness reflected in his eyes._

_He moved away from that image stumbling back to the center of the room which showed all the different reflections of himself taunting him as the room began to spin until finally the mirror room faded and the prince found himself standing in the loft of the Kent Farm._

"_Hello Caleb"_

_The voice of a ghost caused him to freeze afraid to turn around but his body moved anyway despite his protests bringing him face to face with Ryan, "I'm sorry" was his only response to the phantom that stood there staring at him unresponsive._

"_Courage in the face of battle." Ryan finally spoke breaking the eerie silence, "You told me that my first day in combat. I looked up to you thought you were my friend…a brother."_

"_I'm sorry Ryan."_

"_Sorry isn't good enough! I'm dead because of you." A gun appeared in Ryan's hand and aimed it at Kal who fell to his knees asking for forgiveness, "I don't want your apologizes Caleb."_

_When Kal looked up at his friend he was stunned to see that it was no longer Ryan standing there holding the gun but General Zod standing in place of the ghost, "Goodbye Son of Jerome." Those were the kryptonian's last words before pulling the trigger._

Kal jolted up his chest heaving back and forth as he tried to catch his breath over the intense dream that would've surely ended up with his demise at the hands of General Zod.

He rose up removing the covers and moved to sit on the edge of the bed where he ran his hand through his now damp hair trying to make sense of what had happened to cause such a vivid nightmare.

Movement from behind caused the prince to turn his head and see that Lois had rolled over turning her back to him falling deeper into her peaceful slumber.

Kal couldn't help but think back over the night's events. His intention wasn't for this to happen but in the grief induced fog his heart sought out the touch of a woman he was beginning to care for possibly even love.

"_Don't be absurd Caleb."_ He could already hear his uncle say even if they were country's apart, _"A future king isn't allowed to feel such trivial emotions. You have a kingdom full of people that will love you; they will never leave you or turn against you." _

Kal shook away the voice of his uncle knowing full well that King Zorion was a hypocrite when it came to emotions such as this.

Unlike those who pretended not to notice, Kal could see the way the King looked at his mother almost as if she was the king's most cherished possession in all of Krypton and the Dominion.

Having enough of such thoughts he rose up from the bed careful not to disturb Lois as he grabbed his pants and headed towards the balcony where he hoped that the fresh air would clear his mind of any doubts.

* * *

Tess stood near the door making sure to keep people out as she watched Lionel stare down at the cold slab where the body of Julian Luthor lay dead.

An old man fishing in a small boat at Crater Lake had discovered the prince's body after reeling up what the man assumed was a big catch only to be horrified by what he found instead.

Lionel placed his hand on the neatly combed brown hair like he did whenever he was proud of Julian's accomplishments as a child as he stared down at his youngest son with clear sadness and devastation in his eyes.

"I remember once when he was very young he came running into my office to show off the quarter that was left under his pillow. Do you know what I did?"

She just nods her head and watches as Lionel's other hand reaches over to touch Julian's cold hand, "I yelled at him. Told him not to bother me with such childish excitement and had Lex take him back to his room." He fights back the tears that threatened to fall, "I could never really love him like his mother could and even though I never expressed it. I loved Julian the most out of all my children." He takes a step back and clears his throat while adjusting his suit pushing aside anymore pain he had felt just as Lex entered the morgue looking from Lionel to Julian's body.

Lionel turned around and walks out but not before saying, "Don't be long. We must give your brother's soul time to find peace until the funeral arrangements can be made." He looks towards Tess, "Make sure that happens soon. I don't want the press snooping around here like a bunch of hungry wolves."

She nods and makes a note of it while Lex just stares at the body of the fallen Luthor almost in disbelief in what he was seeing, "How did this happen?"

Tess made sure that the king was nowhere to be found before she replied, "Someone pistol whipped him then threw him into the lake where he was left to drown."

Lex immediately turned around to face her with a deadly serious look on his face one that she had never seen before, "I want the person that did this and I want you to bring them to me alive or dead it doesn't really matter just make sure it happens before the funeral." He walks past her leaving the red headed assistant alone with the only person beside Lionel who knew the truth about her lineage.

"_So I guess that makes us brother and sister"_ Julian had said to her after learning the truth and didn't seem all that displeased to learn that there was another long lost child to add to the family tree.

Tess set down her things and walked towards the steel table where she silently said her goodbyes to the only brother she's ever known and promised that he would be avenged no matter the cost.

* * *

The feeling of a hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned around to come face to face with Lois who smiled up at him but he could not return the same look she gave him and simply faked it.

She could tell right away that something was bothering him and immediately stopped him from trying to step away from her, "What's wrong?"

"I-I should get back to the hotel before anyone notices I'm gone." He tries to move past her but she is unrelenting in letting him walk away.

"Something's bothering you Kal and I want to know what it is." Her hand cups his face spreading a much needed warmth through his body, "Out of all the places for you to go you came to me. You needed me and I'm not gonna let you just walk away because of what happened last night."

"It was a mistake." His voice is soft with his eyes unwilling to meet hers as he used his hand to pull away from here allowing him to walk back towards the bedroom to retrieve his clothes.

"I'm not someone you can just have a quick romp in the sheet with then discard like all the others."

The words strike a cord with him but try as he might the emotions he tried so hard to keep bottled up, "You're not like the others Lo. I've never felt anything like this with anyone before and it scares me because where I'm from this type of thing just doesn't happen."

"There's a first time for everything."

A smirk appeared on his face while she moved around appearing in front of him with one hand touching the scar that was left there by the bullet that nearly took his life three years ago, "We've only known each other for a short amount of time. How do I know that your not gonna leave me?"

Lois looks into his ocean blue eyes letting the world fade away just leaving them alone in this moment where the aftermath of their choices didn't seem to matter as she leaned up towards him pressing her lips to his giving him an answer to his question.

"You're not alone anymore" she says in a hushed almost breathless tone when they pull away, "I'm here now that's all that matters."

**TBC**

**Very big emotions in this chapter not just with Kal and Lois but with the Luthors as well hence the chapter's title, I wasn't too sure about whether or not it was right to have Kal spend the night with Lois but then I thought about what he had learned and how that would probably impact anyone so it sort of seemed natural to have him seek out Lois for comfort in a place he's not accustomed to.**

**We have another mystery on our hands folks, I wanna hear your theories on who you think killed Julian and I'd also like to hear your theories on what happened to Jerome as well.**

**FEEDBACK!**


	16. Chapter 16 For King and Country

**Chapter Sixteen- For King and Country**

Tess walked down the streets of Suicide Slums while she slipped black leather gloves on her hands and stopped at rundown tenement that housed the junkies, criminals and impoverished of Metropolis.

It was a place few ever ventured unless they were searching for something and right now Tess was following a lead in Julian's murder, "Not really the safest place for the Luthor's most trusted advisor especially at this ungodly hour." A warm breath crept down her spine causing her to turn around where she bumped into the kryptonian major's chest which caused him to smirk.

"I could say the same for you but then again you are kryptonian." She turns her back to him and opens the door quietly so she didn't alert the squatters of her presences, "Were you following me or do you like walking around this side of town at night?"

"It's a little bit of both actually and since we're on the topic…what exactly are you doing here?"

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, "Let's just say that I'm here on official crown business." She begins walking up the creaky stairs unaware that the major was following close behind her with the smirk still on his face.

The pair searched around the place only to find nothing of interest until a noise in the dark led them towards a room hidden in the corner but when they got there the door immediately burst open throwing Tess and Zod together as a man rushed down the hall headed towards the stairs.

Without a word the kryptonian ran off after the man ignoring her protests causing her to roll her eyes and give chase as well.

The man made it a few blocks until Zod slammed his rather painfully into the brick wall twisting his arm around causing it to let out a sickly crack just as Tess arrived on the scene trying to hide the impressed look on her face.

"I believe this is who you were looking for." Zod grabs the back of the man's collar and turned the body around to show him to Tess who walked towards them moving the man's face left and right to see if it indeed was the man she was searching for.

"W-Who are you?"

She just smiled at the question which didn't go unnoticed by Zod who could tell she enjoyed this almost as much as he did, "Who I am is of no importance to you." She injects the man with something causing the body to slump unconscious as she looked towards Zod, "Would you help carry him to the car?"

He just smiled and hauled the unconscious man as the two made their way towards her dark SUV unaware of the blinking red light from the security camera across the street.

* * *

The wheels of her chair splashed through the puddle as the red haired woman made her way to her car when she noticed her partner standing there with his usually look of frustration or maybe it was constipation, she could never really tell the difference.

"I haven't seen you this worked up since Shayera."

He just grunts and pushes off her car allowing her to unlock it but before she could move herself from the chair to the driver seat she found herself in his arms and placed into the seat instead, "I've been in this chair for a longtime Carter. I don't need anyone's help." She states while he folded up her chair and loaded it into the passenger side.

"A simple thanks would've sufficed." He says leaning against the open door with a concerned look on his face, "It's not safe right now and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

"Aw you do care about me." She replies sarcastically earning a hidden smirk from her friend, "Don't forget that I can still kick your sorry ass even from the chair."

He just shakes his head trying to hide the smirk she had clearly seen seconds before, "Are you meeting Grayson tonight?"

The light in her eyes soon faded and she shook her head negatively, "Dick has a meeting in Blüdhaven with the Princess of Tamaran. With the kryptonian prince in Metropolis all the major cities around the Dominion are working to secure their borders in case the peace talks fail so he's been busy."

"What you ever saw in him I'll never understand."

She ignores his comment and instead looks up at him clearly masking the pain as she just smiled, "I better go and get some rest before picking up the rest of the search."

"Make sure you call me when you get home so that I know you're safe."

"You worry too much Carter. I'll be fine, the sooner I get some rest the sooner we catch the son of a bitch that killed our friends."

He moved back allowing her to shut the door while he just looked around cautiously as he always did during this time of night, "I'll see you later." She says with a quick smile before driving off leaving him alone to the night.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

Carter immediately perked up at the cries and rushed off towards where he thought he heard the noise only to find himself in an empty alleyway with no distressed victim.

Before he could react something sharp had pierced the side of his back causing him to cry out in pain as immediately used the back of his elbow to smash into his attacker's face sending the would be attacker to the ground groaning in pain over a possible broken nose, "You messed with the wrong person tonight." He reached down ignoring the pain while he hauled the person up only to grow surprised to see that the person that attacked him was in fact a young teenager, "Shouldn't you be in bed instead of harming innocent people?"

"I-I'm sorry. I just need some money." The boy stammers the knife laying forgotten on the ground with fear clearly shown in his eyes, "Please don't hurt me."

Carter drops the kid and lets out a rough warning, "If I ever see you doing something like this again I won't be so forgiving." He reaches into back pocket to retrieve his wallet and pulled out a few dollars, "Here." He hands the money to the now sobbing kid who snatched the money and ran off.

It wasn't until he went to put the wallet back that his groaned out in pain over the wound in his back, "Damn kids" he mutters while walking towards the motel he had been staying at for the past couple years hoping he still had that first aid kit.

* * *

A bright light was all the man saw when he awoke and instantly shied away from the intruding slightly blinding light by turning his head to the side, "Tom Tresser." The man saw the red headed woman that had apprehended him, "When I ran your prints you could imagine my surprise to learn that a man with such an elaborate military file was squatting in an apartment building in the slums."

"Well if you hadn't noticed we are in the middle of a war."

She circles him like a cat would its prey studying his disheveled appearance when she noticed the balance symbol like the one lady justice holds in her hand was the face of the gold watch on his wrist, "You believe in justice don't you Tom?"

He didn't respond and just gave her a cold stare until she smacked him across the face causing his lip to split from the ring on her finger before she pulled him by his blonde hair forcing him to look at her, "I'm looking for the son of a bitch that killed Julian Luthor. If you don't tell me then your brother's blood will be on your hands."

"You wouldn't." he sees the seriousness in her eyes and immediately becomes afraid for his sibling, "Please he's been through enough. I'll do what ever you want just don't hurt him because of me."

"Then tell me what I need to know and he won't be harmed." She steps away from him as he begins to divulge everything he knew about Julian's death until he was out of breath, "Thank you Mr. Tresser. The king thanks you for your service." A glint of something shinny catches his attention and felt a sharp pain enter his gut as Tess leaned close enough to him to whisper, "You helped in the killing of my brother so its only fair that I do the same to yours." She twists the knife causing him to contort in pain.

He gave her a pained expression until the light faded form his eyes and a gurgled exhale of air was the last thing she heard from him.

* * *

The next morning Carter Hall made his way through the halls of the old museum walking past the display of a woman's helm shaped like a hawk with a single cut going down the side of one of the eyes and a small mace.

"It's five o'clock in the morning Babs. What's so important that you had to wake me…" he pauses when he sees the image of Tess Mercer on the monitor and an unknown man loading a body into the trunk of her SUV, "Never mind" he walks to her side to see several cups of crushed up Red Bull discarded in the bin but decides not to ask questions.

"The alerts went off last night and you could imagine my surprise to see the king's advisor abducting a man from Suicide Slum." She shifts the focus over towards the man helping Tess, "I'm more worried about this man though…I've ran his face through every possible file in my databases but so far it's like he doesn't exist."

"That's because he's kryptonian." She looks at him surprised, "There was soldier I fought years ago during the first war. Aggressive and very determined to win not to mention he had a mean right hook." He point towards the dog tags around the man's neck, "That's the exact symbol on he had on his tags."

Barbara began typing away on the old computer only to have it beep in response, "I really hate this old dinosaur." He steps aside to let her chair wheel around to face him, "We'll have to go to the home base if we want to know who this guy is."

"I'll meet you there." He takes his worn brown leather coat off and goes to hang it up, "Just because my back is turned doesn't mean I can't feel you watching me." He looks at her from over his shoulder and gave her a smirk which she returned, "Go on I'll be right behind you."

"Last time you said that you came back to me with a broken wing." She wheels closer to him and reached across to grab his hand which he squeezed in response allowing him some small comfort, "Have you been dreaming about her again?"

"If I did it wouldn't change anything. I'm still needed here in this life before I can exit it."

Her hand immediately slips from his causing him to turn around to face his friend confused by the reaction, "We all meet our ends Babs even those of us that must relive it. There is no escaping my fate only prolong it until we find the ones responsible for our friend's deaths." He reaches down to cup her cheek and places a kiss on her forehead rather intimately, "For now let's focus on the task at hand." He walks past her oblivious to the tear she quickly wiped away before following after him into the musty old Brownstone building filled with so many memories and tragedies.

**TBC**

**As the chapter title suggests this one dealt with Tess trying to find Julian's killer along with Carter and Barbara continuing their search which has now grown complicated thanks to Major Zod's mysterious appearance in Metropolis.**

**FUN FACT: Tom Tresser is also known as ****Nemesis in the comic books, he was a former agent for the Suicide Squad and years later after leaving the squad Wonder Woman began courting him but the relationship didn't last when he found out that she was only using him to create a family.**

**FEEDBACK!**


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